


The Architect

by That_guy_who_writes



Category: Little Nightmares (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:14:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 69,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29404641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_guy_who_writes/pseuds/That_guy_who_writes
Summary: Cruelness and death was something he grew accustomed to ever since he could think for himself. He's seen what happens to sobbing children who crumble, to the foolhardy who boldly challenged the monstrous adults that stalked them. He has seen the brave crying and pleading for help before being whisked away in a giant fist. He knew that strength in numbers was a fleeting advantage when their spirits could be crushed so soundly with little effort. He had refused to die like that, to be at the mercy of some grinning or deformed monstrosity that delighted in feeble struggles and screams. He had gotten so far too.Then that damn Ferryman showed up.A bargain was made, the bastard apparently liked the way he survived for so long. A guaranteed childhood where he wouldn't have to hide, run, or kill. All he had to do was use the very same tools and designs that kept him breathing to damn other children like him. The choice was simple, the events that followed said choice were anything but.
Comments: 93
Kudos: 177





	1. Sharp Minds Make Sharp Tools

**Author's Note:**

> Hello potential readers! Little Nightmares 2 has left one hell of an impression on me after I played through it completely. I have always enjoyed reading stories from this site about anything and this is one of the rare times I've felt inclined to write something! So I decided to make this story with my own character and twists. I hope you all enjoy it, please don't hesitate to write some constructive criticism. I'd very much appreciate it to make my writing better. Let's get this ball rolling.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After losing his friends to a skilled Hunter, a boy is faced with a terrible deal that will damn the lives of countless children in exchange for his safety. He hardly cared when he was just making some stupid building, how much harm could it cause?  
> 

It was truly a sad world when the lifespan of a child could easily be numbered in the fist few years of their lives. It never truly clicked to him in his younger years, too many things to worry about to let a wayward thought distract him. The kids that took him in were always cautious and looking over their shoulders, teaching him the importance of remaining silent and focused. Spending days with strained ears and barely audible breaths weren't uncommon, the woods they called home was usually deathly quite. You could easily hear a pin drop, no one in their group ever wanted to make a sound in such a place and with good reason. They used to have eight kids, one of them had tripped and twisted their ankle painfully, causing him to shout in pain. They had barely turned to acknowledge the noise when the Hunter was upon them, snatching the now screaming boy in his hand while whistling sharply through the sack he wore on his head. The barking of hounds made them abandon anyone too slow to keep up, scattering as the hounds broke through the foliage to pursue with rabid barks and snarls. They never saw the other three, but the piercing scream they heard confirmed that one of them was caught by the dogs, he shuddered to imagine what that child must have looked like when they were caught.

It wasn't soon after that they stumbled upon some traps laid out by the Hunter, bear traps, pitfalls, snares, all sorts of traps designed to trap or kill. He had been fascinated by their intricate design and simplicity, any dumb animal or careless person could easily fall prey to these things. While the group had began to move on, he had stayed a moment longer to study the traps, his right eye gaining a soft green glow he started mentally cataloguing their designs and components before someone tugged him along with a hushed cry of agitation. He had spent days collecting sturdy rocks and twigs, his right eye aglow as jagged pieces of sturdy scrap metal also filled his inventory as he traveled. He spent nights working on replicating the traps he saw, thinking of ways to rid themselves of the infernal hounds that had their scent. He remembered asking for their help in making a pitfall trap, one that was barely big enough to fit a dog. They found a good spot where the dirt was easily malleable and soft, laying out most of the jagged and sharp objects he found at the bottom before pushing a heavy log just a few feet in front of the trap. If things went smoothly, the stupid mutt would jump the log and land right on the weak dirt and fall straight into the pit. They didn't have enough sharp objects to outright kill it if it fell in, but it would be stuck there with grievous wounds, eventually succumbing to blood loss at best or slowing the Hunter down at worst if he chose to help the pooch. Now they just needed bait, which was him irritatingly enough since he was the one who advised them to do this.

Bunch of cowards, the lot of them.

He stood on the log and hollered as loud as his little lungs would allow, the loud sounds of barking responded to his call along with the frantic running of the dog as it honed in on him. With his heart leaping into his throat he ran for the trap, sidestepping the soft ground before rolling across the ground. The hound's teeth were a few inches away from his head before it fell paws first into the trap, its snarls turning into pained whimpering as the spikes below punctures its legs and belly. The only other thing that could be heard was his frantic breaths that soon turned into shaky laughs as the adrenaline and nerves left him, the others shared in his laughs as they approached him to gaze down at the pit. The laughter was abruptly silenced by the sounds of a gunshot, he remembered feeling something whiz past him before feeling his back get soaked in something wet and sticky. His ears were ringing slightly as he frantically turned and ran, barely sparing a look at the red spot behind him that used to be two laughing children. The other survivor, a girl, was sprinting ahead of him with tears in her eyes, tears that blinded her to the snare she was running into. He remembered opening his mouth to shout a warning before she tripped it, a tight net soon engulfing her as she was hoisted above the ground screaming in fear. He regarded her for a moment, he could save her, he thought, he just had to cut her loose. She'd fall and get injured but she'd live, he just had to-.

The sound of a gunshot echoed behind him, too far to be effective at hitting any of them with a shotgun of all things. He briefly wondered what the Hunter was firing at before his ears registered something.

The pained whimpering of the dog has gone silent.

He put the hound out of it's misery and was now free to pursue them with two fresh shells just for them. He felt tears of frustration well in his eyes before he wiped them away and bolted, leaving the screaming girl in his wake as she begged him to come back. Those screams followed him as he ran deeper and deeper into the forest, he only stopped when he saw no signs of the Hunter being in the area. No large footprints or snares could be found here, he hasn't gone this deep yet it seems. He sat there for a long time just catching his breath before the weight of the situation crashed down upon him. He was completely alone now, in a hostile forest filled with things ten times his size that could kill him with ease. The thought made dread form at the pit of his stomach and he almost broke into a new bout of sobs. He slowly stood up, taking his coat off and grimacing when he saw the blood that painted it. He let it fall to the ground, he didn't want the stench of blood to be so heavy on him in a forest filled with predators. He marched deeper in, scavenging anything he could salvage to make tools and traps. He found a spot with plenty of trees to use as cover along with a forest floor littered with dead leaves, perfect for hiding snares. He spent the rest of his days fortifying his surroundings with traps to catch food and ward off danger.

He never expected to see other kids again, hostile ones at that.

They had blindsided him as he was foraging, knocking him down with a kick and demanding food while brandishing sharp, flimsy wooden spears. He cried and begged them to let him stand so he could lead them back to his camp, where he promised he would part with his food. They surprisingly complied, letting him lead with a spear poking his back. When they arrived he pointed at the large rabbit he caught, he had placed it in the middle of a field just a few feet shy of his camp. He mentally noted where his surrounding traps were as one of the three boys ran over to the rabbit in glee, he didn't dare relax until he felt the spear move away and the boy behind him step forward slightly. The boy jerked his head up when he heard his friend cry out as he suddenly fell into a pitfall trap, he barely got to turn his head before he was roughly shoved by their captive, stumbling into a snare that quickly turned his world upside down. His dropped spear was picked up by their captive as he turned and regarded the final boy who let out a shout of anger before charging him, his charge was abruptly halted when he stepped on a bear trap. It's jagged, crude jaws clamped down on his ankle within seconds, making him scream in pain as he grasped his legs with tears in his eyes. Those same eyes soon dulled when a wooden spear was thrusted into his throat, his cries becoming wet gurgles as their captive ripped the bloody implement out. He advanced on the whimpering boy hanging upside down, who begged him to let him go with tears and garbled words as he tried to overcome his fear.

He paid no heed to those crocodile tears, he used them himself after all. He wordlessly jabbed the spear into the wide eyed boys chest, puncturing his heart before releasing the weapon. He stepped away from the corpse, breathing heavily before throwing up. He coughed heavily to try and remove whatever leftover bile remained in his throat.

He just killed three kids without hesitating.

Granted they would have probably done the same but he should have felt _something,_ an inkling of doubt or hesitation, anything! The only thing he felt was relief, relief that he was still breathing and they weren't. It made him sick to his stomach. He carefully walked over to the rabbit and started cutting it into small pieces to cook it over a fire. He had just got a piece of rabbit over the fire before a squirrel came out of the brush and directly into his camp. It scurried close to the fire and seemed to stare at it as he cooked the meat, he ignored it in favor of his dark thoughts about the lives he just took.

"It came to you easily, right?"

The voice made him jolt, he looked over at where the squirrel was, only to find a large man in an overcoat and hat, his deformed face sagging downwards like lumps of fat meat. He was towering over the shaken boy, who was desperately trying to find out when a man this big could have possibly sneaked up on him. He had traps in place if the Hunter ever came looking, traps that would injure the man and give him a chance to flee. How the hell did this massive monstrosity get through? The man quietly regarded the boy, patiently waiting for his response. He simply nodded, it had come easily, much too easily for his personal liking.

"It was them or you, kill or be killed. You should understand that by now." The man said once again. He nodded along with his words. They would have left him starving and beaten at best or dead at worst, he had no choice but to kill them. It hardly made him feel any better about killing them though. He looked up at the man and tilted his head, no adult wasted time talking to kids, at least none that he knew of. He hasn't had much experience conversing with adults since the last one attempted to make him a red smear on the forest floor. So why the pleasantries? Why wasn't he being swept up in this man's grasp.? The man evidently picked up on his unspoken questions for he answered them as if he heard them.

"You intrigue me boy, I've only seen kids in you're shoes run or hide from threats. I don't remember the last time I've seen one kill with such crude traps and implements without flinching, especially other kids. You're bright for one so young." He praised. The boy had no idea how to respond to that. He wasn't expecting praise for killing kids and making traps and tools with the purpose to do harm. He had been obsessed with making them for the sake of survival, nothing more. The man continued to speak. "I suppose being gifted with that eye of yours helps a bit, you understand things too quickly for such a young boy, traps and tools too accurate for a first timer." He droned on as he lifted the corpse of the child in the bear trap up to examine it. The design was nearly perfect, the only thing holding it back was the components used to make the thing.

The boy blinked at his words, holding his hand over his right eye curiously, he had wondered why his group had seemed so distant at night when he worked, looking at him as if he would make them test his traps to ensure they worked. They were equally amazed at his apparent knowledge on making these things, none of them had been incredibly smart after all. They had asked him once how he knew how to make his traps and tools, how he knew just how to put everything together despite never making anything before in his life, he simply answered that he just understood how to make it after studying it long enough. He now knew the reason behind this strange occurrence, his eye seems to be able to discern a man-made objects origins and gives him the knowledge to build it with enough time studying it.

"A real handyman in the making, it's why you aren't getting dragged off with the rest. I've got a deal for you." The man spoke, his tone sounding slightly sinister and malevolent as he pocketed the corpse, The boy felt goosebumps form on his skin as he looked up at the man. A deal with this creature seemed like a terrible option, but not when the alternative was getting stuffed away with that corpse. The man seemed pleased with his willingness to listen as he soon spoke once more. "My...employer wants something built. She has the design prepared, she just needs someone to overlook it's construction. I figured you'd be the best for the job, so I'll take you away to a place where you can live and grow without worry. All you have to do, is help build the thing when you grow up and keep it in working order. Sounds good?" He asked, outstretching his massive hand. The boy pondered for a moment, a life free of worry with only some building to pay for it? He believed he can manage that. He gingerly took the mans hand, if the man could grin, he was sure he'd be splitting his face right now.

"Excellent, just come along my little architect, you have nothing to fear now." He said lowly as he lead him out of the forest, he remembered blinking and being in a city. Another blink found him and his new guardian (He used that loosely.) In front of a giant broadcasting tower. When the hell had they gotten so far? He nevertheless regarded the tower with a glowing green stare, only to nearly retch as he saw countless eyes staring back at him through the stone and brick. Whatever this...thing was, it most certainly _wasn't_ man made. He abruptly cut the stare down off by blinking, noticing that the doors of the building were wide open. He looked up at the man, tilting his head once more in confusion. He didn't want to go into that thing at all. "Just walk on in and get comfortable, you'll be out of there before you know it." He spoke calmly, releasing his hand and walking away.

What a load of shit.

He slowly walked into the building, scanning the walls in case those eyes decided to make an appearance. The walls never shifted as he entered, finding himself in a large room with multiple doors, the far left door slowly opened, letting pink light shine through the door way. It called to him, an itching sensation in the back of skull that told him to step inside, against his better judgment he complied. What greeted him at the other side of that door was a giant workshop filled with many intricate tools and blueprints, his eyes scanned everything with a fervor only a curious mind could show. He lost track of time the moment his eye retained it's green glow, and he quickly got to work at drawing up schematics and plans for construction. A large blueprint hung over his new workbench, showing his designated project as he worked. He hardly registered what he was reading on the paper, "Prison" and "Nursery" hardly registered as he made plans to see this marvelous structure built. He wrote down estimates for manpower and necessary tools to construct it, along with the reliable materials needed to ensure it stayed afloat in the middle of the ocean. He didn't even notice that he didn't need to climb certain things to get new pencils or paper, his growing body soon allowing him to grasp things normally out of his reach. It felt like hours were passing by despite his bodies rapid growth, his messy brown hair grew, his dirty clothes soon replaced with a vest and comfortable slacks with dress shoes. His height made it easy to grab anything, his right eyes glow intensified as he worked, rapidly filling his brain with knowledge. He finished the last of his plans for the building and put his pencil down triumphantly, turning around to leave this place and report his success.

Only to find himself back outside the tower, his plans already in the hands of the large man he met in the forest. He seemed satisfied with his work as he pocketed the papers. "Good work Architect, the Lady will be real pleased about this. I'll come collect you once everything is built and ready for you in you're new job on the Maw." He said with a low laugh, waving at him before he vanished behind one of the winding buildings, leaving the Architect alone in the middle of the street to figure out what the hell just happened. He hardly remembered his time in the tower, just the strong desire to build, to create something truly marvelous. It consumed him completely and now he was left scared. What exactly did he just create that made everyone of his other needs seem pointless in comparison? 

His answer would come in a few years from now, when he would be allowed to visit the hell he gleefully created. 


	2. You've Made Your Bed, Now Lie in it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Architect is taken to the Maw to witness it's terrifying glory in person. His new task is to monitor the children while making sure the vessel stays afloat. He's resigned to his fate of watching children be herded like cattle and killed, when two children defy the odds and break away. One wearing a blue sweater with a shackle on his ankle and another with a vibrant yellow raincoat.

Years have passed as he waited for the Ferryman to return, years he used to desperately try and remember his time in the Signal Tower. His mind continued to draw blanks, only the blueprints and designs of the Maw surfaced as he thought about his time inside. It's as if an outside force was restricting his thoughts and pushing in the design to fill the holes in his memory. The Architect soon gave up on such endeavors to instead explore the Pale City, watching the viewers as they mindlessly crowded around any television that was on. A glare with his appraising green eye made him recoil in disgust, each and every television set had that same revolting mass of flesh and eyes inside as the Signal Tower. The eyes gleefully taking in the viewers as they withered under their gaze. He quickly cut his gaze before any of those eyes could look his way, he didn't want to be under their gaze for even a second. He was halfway up the road when a nearby TV flared to life.

He has never experienced something so painful in his life.

His head was filled with static that raced over every inch of his brain, making it flare in agony as he collapsed on his knees and held his head. The TV droned on, it was searching for something deep in the bowels of his mind, sifting through his thoughts and memories like an accountant with a stack of bills. He weakly stood up and approached the blasted thing, every step felt like he was walking through thick mud as his head threatened to split in two. He was inches away from turning it off when a silhouette of a man appeared on the screen for a second. He barely registered the tall body and hat before the TV abruptly turned off, freeing him from his pain as he collapsed on the ground with heavy breaths. He gingerly massaged his head as he slowly stood, leaning against a wall for support as he tried to figure out what the hell just happened to him. His thoughts raced as he tried to wrap his head around it, quickly distancing himself from the TV as he began to walk away from the city. A rogue thought entered the cacophony of thoughts in his mind.

**Subvert**

He blinked when that thought registered, he was about to question it when he realized he had stumbled upon some poor excuse of a dock. The Ferryman stood besides his rowboat and regarded him with a slightly surprised look, hard to tell with a face like that though. "I was just about to go get you, punctual fellow aren't you?" He said with amusement as the Architect walked past him and simply sat down on the boat. The Ferryman tilted his head and got on board before beginning to row. The Architect was never happier to be so far away from civilization, from those infernal TV's and their eldritch master of flesh and eyes. He calmly took in the view of the sea as the man rowed, eventually thinking about the vessel itself and wondering why the man chose to use this when other ships could do more for less. The Ferryman caught his curious gaze and huffed

"Don't like those fancy ships that people use nowadays, can't stand the smog. Prefer the simplicity of wood powered by a bit of elbow grease." He said, sounding proud of a vessel that could be toppled easily by a rogue wave or storm, not that The Architect cared as long as he made it to the Maw alive. The Ferryman could happily drown under some harsh waves after that, he certainly wouldn't weep over the grotesque man's passing. He doubted that would happen though, he possessed the unnatural ability to travel faster then what seems physically possible, this might extend to the flimsy boat as well. He was snapped out of his thoughts when the Maw came into view, it's external shell reminding him of a turtle as the tower at the top exhaled smog constantly. A ship was already docked and delivering obese guests to the vessel as the Ferryman took them to a separate boarding ramp. "Welcome to your new home." He said with a low laugh, that laugh followed him inside his creation as he examined the walls with a glowing glare. Everything has been made exactly to his specifications, down to the materials and the support system that kept the vessel from moving too much from the waves. He got to a walkway when he noticed her, his supposed new employer. She was standing on a balcony overlooking a walkway that lead the guests to the dining area, she was wearing a long dark brown kimono with a white porcelain mask that hid her face. She regarded him for a moment, making him stand a bit straighter, she then pointed to his left.

An elevator waited for him at the end of the walkway, he gave the woman a small nod before entering the lift. He only relaxed when the doors closed, grasping his chest as his heart raced in fear. That woman was incredibly dangerous, he felt like he was staring at a monster more so then a woman. He was suddenly glad that he was heading deeper into the Maw and farther from her.

He doubted any of those guests will be leaving alive.

The elevator finally came to a halt, slowly opening to reveal a dark hallway with a heavy latch door at the end. The lights were barely functioning, making him frown as he walked down the hall and opened the door. He closed it behind him and descended down the wooden stairs, he would have to check the power on this floor to see where the problem lied, it very well could be the bulbs just being dead. He entered an office that was filled with cabinets with a desk resting against the wall, he paid the room no mind as he dragged a chair over to the weighted lock. A soft click sounded before the closet slowly opened to reveal a secret room, his new workplace for the foreseeable future. The room had a single large monitor in the visage of an eye (He shuddered when he looked at it) along with a bench and terminal. He sat down and was about to activate the cameras when a soft noise from behind the terminal made him peer over it curiously. He found a small creature with a pointed hat and grey skin shaking in fear as it looked up at him, he regarded it for a moment before leaning back and activating the cameras. He began to flip through the channels, finding the necessary ones that overlooked the nursery and prison. He frowned slightly as he gazed at all the sleeping children, checked on regularly by a small man with incredibly long arms with flabs of flesh covering his eyes. He flipped over to the prison just in time to see a child make a run for the door, only for an eye to open and bathe them in light. The child curled up in pain as they slowly turned to stone, joining the others that decorated the area. He had made this terrible place. This twisted facility that housed children to be killed and eaten by the guests above. He wasn't an idiot, he hardly saw any barges carrying supplies like meat and vegetables. What he did see was an abundance of kids being sent up in wrappings to be processed, and most of those bags weren't moving.

He loathed this place already, along with the damned circumstances that lead him to creating it. He would of happily taken death if he knew what he was being asked to create. Now he was condemned to watch his creation masterfully trap and sap the will to live out of every child it housed, working perfectly as intended. He flicked over back to the nursery to see a child waking from their slumber with a sharp gasp, his chest heaving slightly as he looked around the room before he slowly stood up and got out of his bed. The Architect raised a brow, an attempt at escape would be near impossible, especially when the route the boy was taking only lead to the depths of the Maw.

**Subvert**

The word echoed in his mind for a moment, making him stand up as he glared at the monitor. Who said this had to be his fate? To sit here and just watch as kids died with indifference? He could just as easily dismantle this place as he did build it, it would take time and careful planning but it wasn't impossible. He swiftly walked over to the prison section, ignoring the fearful gazes of the children locked in their cages as he marched into the dark playroom. The sounds of little footsteps stopped the moment he entered the room, good, meant he intercepted the boy just before he could walk out of here. His eye glowed harshly in the dark room as he scanned it carefully, slowly walking through the room as he bathed any spot he gazed at in emerald light. He made his way to the power box and started working on restoring power to the dark room, his eye was starting to get tired. Seemed like it had little patience for anything not related to building and understanding something. He got the power running again, causing the electric doors to hum with energy, a sharp gasp tore his attention away. The boy was just a few inches shy of the door, his blue sweater contrasting greatly against the wooden floor while his ankle shackle rang loudly as he quickly turned to look at the Architect in fear. The Architect had little time to placate such fears, so he quickly picked the struggling boy up. He banged his tiny fists against his hand as he swiftly began to return to his observation hub, the Architect only stopped when he felt tiny teeth dig into his hand, making him alternate his grip on the boy before stuffing him in one of his breast pockets for the duration of the trip.

He grabbed a lamp on his way back, entering the room and locking the hidden door behind him before setting the lamp down. He carefully reached into his breast pocket and took the struggling boy out before setting him down on the ground next to the lamp. The boy was breathing heavily as he glared up at his captor in spite, an amusing and familiar sight to The Architect. He grabbed a small saw, making the boy scurry back in fear before he was swiftly restrained by a giant hand and brought back to the light as The Architect's right eye glowed once more. Tears welled in the boys eyes as he fought to escape to no avail, shutting his eyes tightly when the saw neared him to brace for the pain that would follow. Only to feel the weight on his ankle leave him with the sound of metal hitting wood, he slowly opened his eyes to see the himself free, the shackle laid broken on the floor as the Architect put away his tool. He turned to regard the shocked boy, smiling faintly as he rubbed his ankle softly.

The Architect slowly cleared his throat before speaking, wincing at the slight pain in his throat from lack of use as he spoke slowly. "You were going the wrong way." His hoarse voice surprised the boy as he looked up at the man who was rubbing his neck slightly, listening intently as he spoke again. "Now's a bad time to try to escape anyway." He spoke while turning on the cameras, showing the boy the lack of guests entering at the moment. The boat that brought them most likely disembarked to pick up more guests. He flipped the camera back off before continuing. "No transport to use, you must wait for the next batch to arrive or try your luck with The Lady." The mention of the woman made the boy freeze up in fear, an understandable reaction. He would feel uncertain about approaching her even if he had a loaded gun in his hands. The boy got over his small bout of fear as he looked up at him, it was difficult to see his eyes with his hair covering them.

"Why did you bring me here...?" The Architect almost missed those soft spoken words as he looked down at the boy who was tilting his head up at him in question. He sighed softly before he answered. "I want to help the children here escape while bringing this place down. No one deserves this type of fate, especially children. This is the least I could do." He spoke lowly, getting all of these broken children out would be a monumental task, but it would be worth it if he could wipe his greatest sin off the face of the Earth. It would be especially difficult to get those who already surrendered to this place to leave. The boy looked up at the adult with wide eyes, never before has he heard any adult speak with such care for children before, the man's eyes didn't hold an inch of malicious intent inside them. He genuinely wanted to spring the kids out of here before letting the ocean claim this wicked place. The boy couldn't stop the small amount of hope from leaking into his voice. "...You really mean that?" He shakily asked.

"I wouldn't bother saying it if I didn't mean it." The Architect replied with a huff, walking over to his workbench to work on a appropriate plan. They couldn't hope to just hijack a boat, it would be impossible to sneak so many children on board, let alone overtake the crew. He barely noticed the boy approach him as he contemplated their options, only snapping out of his thoughts when he felt a slight tug on his slacks. He looked down to find the boy looking up at him imploringly, prompting him to gingerly pick him up and set him on the table "What's your name, mister?" He asked innocently, making the man blink. He didn't remember the last time he used his actual name. "Folks just call me The Architect." He said simply as the boy furrowed his brow in confusion. "Arc-hi-tect?" He sounded it out slowly, making the man smile as he nodded. "Yep, you said it perfectly." he said while ruffling the boys hair with a finger, making said boy swat the digit away with a pout. A soft chortle from the left of made both of them look over, spotting that creature the man saw earlier peeking from behind his toolbox.

The boy brightened as he approached the creature, embracing it in a loving hug that it seemed to enjoy immensely. The man tilted his head at the creature, the boy caught on to his confused expression and soon spoke. "These are Nome's, they're usually really friendly but scare easily." The boy said before setting the Nome down, letting it scurry over to The Architect and look up at him with a tilted head. The man softly rubbed the creatures coned head as the boy spoke again. "Kids usually call me the Runaway Kid, you can call me RK for short." He said with a small smile. The shackle on his ankle started making sense now, little guy has probably been giving the Janitor endless headaches. The small boy yawned a bit, rubbing his eyes sleepily as the man continued to think. He eventually noticed RK's tired condition before gently picking the boy up, making him yelp slightly as he carried him over to the bed in the corner of the room. He set the boy down on the soft mattress and made to go back to his work before a small voice stopped him.

"You're not going to leave, right?" The boy's voice was laced in slight fear, making the man raise a brow before remembering what happened the last time he slept. He slowly nodded as he grabbed a remote and returned to the bedside, sitting down carefully as he configured the remote work with the monitor so he could continue his observations. "I'm not going anywhere, go ahead and rest kid." He spoke as soothingly as he could, it came out a bit awkward since he has never been placed in such a position. His old group usually remained calm even when things got scary at night, maybe he was scared of losing such a giant ally? His words seemed to have the desired effect because RK was soon snoozing away peacefully as The Architect observed everything happening on the Maw through his cameras. Unaware that his presence resulted in the first bout of dreamless sleep RK ever experienced. The man slowly dozed off himself, laying down on the bed and slowly closing his eyes.

His dreams were plagued with walls of flesh and eyes with the hum of static threatening to drive him mad.

The Architect awoke with a jolt, clutching his chest as he broke into a cold sweat. His pale face turned to a viscous sneer as he calmed himself. He was going to topple that God forsaken tower if it killed him, he was tired of seeing that putrid mass of flesh whenever he closed his eyes, he was going to delight in burning that thing cloaked in stone to a mountain of ash. He looked to his side to see RK still sleeping blissfully, clutching the fabric of his vest as he snuggled into the large source of warmth. The Architect felt a pang of... something in his heart, this was different then the times fear gripped it in a tight, merciless grip. He couldn't help the smile that erupted over his face as that warm feeling spread throughout his bones. The destruction of the Maw and the Signal Tower may not save every child, but it would remove a great threat from their lives. He glanced at the monitor, only to see a girl in a yellow raincoat run past the petrification yard while using her surroundings as cover. His eyes widened as she scaled a stack of cages and walked straight into the nursery. If she kept going, she'd eventually reach him and RK within a few minutes. He slowly stood and shook the boy awake, making him sit up tiredly as he rubbed his eyes. "Another child is making their way here, a girl with a yellow raincoat." The man reported.

Any sense of fatigue left the boy as he stood up. "That's the girl that escaped the nursery the first time! We should go help her!" The boy said, only to flinch when the man fixed him a stern glare. "I am going to go retrieve her, you will stay here where it is safe to avoid getting captured again." He ordered as he stood up and gathered his tools, making the boy stare at him in disbelief before he finally sputtered a response. "B-But what if the Janitor finds me?" He asked in fear, not wanting to be taken while his guardian was absent. The Architect swiftly kneeled and looked the boy in the eye. "If he does come, remain silent at the edge of the room. Sit in the refrigerator if you have to. I'll deal with him when I come back if he's here." He said calmly while patting the child's head softly. He stood once more and quickly exited the room, quickly locking the door and leaving the nervous child alone.

\- 

Six stumbled out of the showers with the screeches of leeches at her heels, her lighter providing her enough light to navigate the area she plunged into darkness. She safely crossed the now deactivated electrified bars before finding herself in a room with another watchful eye. She observed it's patterns for a moment before quickly taking cover behind the scattered furniture, clinging to a wheeled bucket as the eye tracked the source of motion. She managed to reach the other side without being under it's petrifying gaze. She made her way on a metallic walkway before it suddenly shuddered, both sides swiftly began withdrawing, forcing Six to run or join the box down below in the abyss. She jumped over the gap and sprinted for the next box that would boost her up.

Only to watch as it fell once it hit the corner, the impact causing it to teeter off the edge and fall.

She kept sprinting regardless, jumping in a vain attempt to reach the edge before she ran out of space. The bridge completely withdrew as gravity slowly claimed her body again, she was sure she'd fall to her death until a large hand emerged from over the edge she tried to reach. Two fingers pinched and caught her by her raincoats hood, barely grasping her as they slowly lifted her up and over the edge before setting her down on the ground. Her thundering heart slowly calmed from her near death experience before realizing _what_ just helped her. A surprisingly normal looking man stood above her, regarding her with a slightly relieved look. "You are incredibly lucky, girl. A second later and you would have been a stain at the bottom of the Maw." He comments, making the girl flinch slightly at the thought before looking up at the man in suspicion. He noticed her cautious stance and spoke once more with a bit of authority. " I know you probably don't trust me but I am trying to assist you and the other children. If you don't believe me your free to continue on your way." 

Six looked down in thought, no adult bothered with words when regarding children unless it was to belittle them. They never went out of their way to save them or talk to them. She looked up at him and slowly sighed. "I'm only following you until I can find a way out of here, I'm not staying a second longer." She spoke, her voice a bit hoarse from disuse as she glared up at the man. He nodded in response and slowly held out his hand. "Fine by me, hop on. We're going to go visit a friend before I explain our plan to escape." He spoke. She looked at the hand with clear hesitance before stepping onto it, soon being lifted up to the man's shoulder as he began to walk back to his observation room. "You can call me The Architect." He introduced himself briefly as he walked, Six decided to respond in kind. "Six."

"Like the number?"

"Yeah."

There was a brief pause. "Alrighty then."

Six furrowed her brow at his response, opening her mouth to ask what he meant by that before they began descending some wooden stairs. It just now occurred to her how high up she was as she took everything around her in. The Architect carefully approached a doorway while slowly taking out a hammer from his belt of tools as he called out. "RK? You okay in there?" His voice was soft as he entered the room. A confused croak was his only response as he came face to face with the short Janitor. Six prepared to bolt from the man's shoulder while he responded accordingly as someone who was surprised would.

"Shit!"

He swung the hammer out of reflex, nailing the shorter man right in his flabby forehead with the tool as he shouted in alarm. The Janitor barely got enough time to open his mouth before he was sent to the ground with a loud thud. unconscious before he even hit the ground with a small, bleeding bruise at the center of his forehead. The Architect breathed slowly and calmly to calm his jumping heart, staring down at the unconscious man with a look of surprise, slightly glad he didn't outright kill him. He most certainly had a concussion though. The sound of the hidden door opening made him look over to see RK peeking out and staring at the downed form of the Janitor in disbelief along with Six. Both children looked at the man and tilted their heads as they asked the same question.

"Shit?"

God damn it. 


	3. A Wrapped Gift and Escape Plans.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After briefly debating on the fate of the unconscious Janitor, The Architect comes up with a plan to escape the Maw while leaving it crippled. Six and RK are all for it until they realize what must be done to ensure the vessel stays barren and lifeless.

"So it's a bad word that we shouldn't say?"

"Exactly."

"So why did you say it then?"

The Architect rubbed his face a bit and fought the urge to sigh loudly. He had forgotten how curious children could be when their lives weren't constantly in danger (That thought made him feel very old.) He looked at the curious face of RK and the indifferent face of Six as he began to explain. "I only said it because I was surprised and stressed, so it was kind of okay there." He wasn't used to educating others like this, his old group had cursed on occasion and received a harsh verbal lashing from the older girls of the group. Something about it being "Improper" and "Bastardizing mother goose.", whatever the hell that meant. He was just going off what he learned from them at this point, he was way out of his element here. "So it's okay as long as we're surprised by something bad?" Six clarified with a raised brow, looking up at the man as he worked on restraining the Janitor.

He briefly paused, thinking it over. "...I guess?" He offered weakly with a small shrug, not used to putting so much thought behind when he should or shouldn't curse. He supposed he had to be more careful now since teaching them one word already left him feeling unpleasant. He secured the shorter man's bindings before stepping back, his thoughts once again focusing on the problem at hand. What exactly was he supposed to do with the Janitor? Should he just restrain him here and leave him? No, he would either stumble to his death due to lack of sight or just die of hunger, too cruel. The man was pivotal in the work structure of this place, overlooking the children while sending them up to the Chefs, dismantling this structure seemed promising if they timed it with the next influx of guests. Leaving him alive might come back to bite them later, the answer was simple.

He reached for his hammer before abruptly stopping, catching the confused gaze of RK and the slightly fearful gaze of Six before he nearly slapped his forehead in exasperation. What was he thinking? He would likely damage his tools if he used them to kill the Janitor and get his clothes all dirty from the resulting mess. He also probably shouldn't smash someone's brain in with two kids watching, no need to subject them to acts of violence if it could be avoided. Lord knows they've seen enough of that on this cursed vessel. He retracted his hand and started dragging the stirring Janitor outside. "I'm going to go make sure he won't bother us, please stay here until I return." He said calmly as he left the room, not even turning his head to see if the children complied with his order.

The Janitor was now awake and moaning in slight pain from the strike to the head, trying to move his arms only to feel them tightly bond to his body by rope. He quickly began to panic when he realized he could hardly move, squirming and croaking in distress as he tried to escape his bonds. A rough grip on his throat silenced his cries as the cold voice of the Architect registered in his ears. "Shut up before I decide strangling you here is better then what I have planned." The Janitor wheezed slightly before the grip loosened, once more getting dragged through the ground. He only recognized the area they were in by the sounds of shocked gasps and rattling cages, they were in one of the holding areas for children. The Architect released his prisoner before walking over to each cage after swiping the Janitors key chain. It took some time to free each child, the room was filled with cages that lined the walls. Once he finished, he walked back over to the restrained man, the fearful and curious gazes of the children followed him as he stood besides the man.

"You are all free now, this man won't harm you and this entire floor is yours. Besides the places with the security eyes and leeches, your free to go and do whatever you like on this floor, where it's **safe**." He put heavy emphasis on the word, not wanting them to wander too far and end up dead because they thought the whole Maw was theirs. Their eyes lit up with hope, even the ones that had stayed in their cages lifted their heads at his words in interest. The Janitor let out an enraged snarl at his words, something that made the children flinch in fear. He happily rectified this by kicking the man in stomach, digging his heel into the gasping man's belly as he continued. "Your first decision of free will is to help me decide what to do with him." He said slowly, making the Janitor freeze as he realized how dire his situation had become.

An entire room of kids now held his life in their hands. The very same kids he ripped away from friends and locked up while sending them up to be cooked via meat hook. He didn't need eyes to know most of them were regarding him with stares filled with vehement anger and loathing. The Architect had some qualms about this plan at first but decided that it needed to be done, these children would gain closure and confidence once they did away with the monster that caused them so much pain. He ignored the pang of guilt that told him he should jump off one off the walkways with such reasoning, since this place only existed because of him. He shook his head slightly, he had the decency to feel guilt and regret over all of this, the creature bond at his feet had no such problems as he snatched runaway children and stuck them in cages and hooks. The thought of RK being impaled on one of those hooks made his blood boil in anger, he was snapped out of his thoughts when one of the children rushed forward and started kicking the Janitor with angry eyes filled with tears. He watched as the rest of the children, emboldened by the first kid, rushed forward and began to do the same, venting their years of frustration and fear onto the the defenseless monster.

Even the broken children ventured out, committing the sight of their jailer being beaten to memory with narrowed eyes. The sight made the Architect feel a bit sad, such eyes filled with contempt and hate didn't belong on a child's face. When he traveled with his group in the woods, they managed to find times to be happy when they could. Playing with pinecones and giggling whenever they had the chance. These kids didn't get such a luxury, not with the knowledge that they could be the next one to be sent up on a platter to be cooked and eaten. This place robbed them of an childhood with brief happiness to cut through the gloom, this world wouldn't allow innocence to live that long anyway. _He_ robbed them of their childhood. He clenched his fists tightly at the thought, he would correct this, all of this. His right eye subconsciously glowed as his emotions and thoughts ran rampant, it subsided quickly when he felt a soft tug on his pants. He looked down to see a small girl in a tattered coat looking up at him, she pointed over at the Janitor.

The man was a mess of bruises and ruffled clothing, he was pretty sure one or two of his fingers were broken given their bent angle. He mentally winced at the sight, the children seemed to have exhausted themselves and seemed quite pleased with their handiwork. He approached the panting Janitor who curled up slightly to feebly protect himself from another angry storm of blows, The Architect grabbed the broken man and hoisted him up before looking at the children. Their eyes all said the same thing, they hardly cared what happens to the Janitor, as long as he was gone they would be happy. Looks like it was decided then. He wordlessly carried the man over to one of the connecting walkways and held him over the edge. The Janitor began to struggle when he heard the ambience that filled the area, knowing full well that there was no ground beneath him, it was a long drop. The Architect was briefly reminded of the hanging boy he killed in the forest, would it be just as easy to kill this man as it was before?

He let the man go, barely flinching when the Janitor screamed in fear as he began to plummet to the depths below. The architect hummed for a moment before he came to an answer.

It was much easier, and he had no blood stained clothes to switch out of.

He dusted his hands before turning to address the children behind him, they looked up at him with looks of gratitude and joy that he certainly didn't deserve. He can be disgusted with himself as a person later, work comes first. He gingerly handed the key chain to one of the children, who took it with wide eyes. "Go ahead and free anyone else still locked up, I'm going to see what I can do about those scary looking eyes, okay?" He said softly with a small smile, prompting the boy to nod quickly as he set off with a few kids to free their fellow captives. The Architect walked out of the walkway, his right eye glowing in the dark as he traced the lines beneath the walls back to the main circuit. He took out a screwdriver and began to unscrew the panel, tossing it to the ground as he began to carefully cut the wires revealed to him. If they followed his design to the letter, then all it would take to shut down the eyes in this sector was just one little snip-

He yanked his hand back while suppressing the urge to curse, the slight shock he received meant he cut the right wire. He turned to walk towards one of the security eyes, only to stop when he realized a small group of kids were following him, including the girl who tugged at his pants. He raised a brow and walked around them, noting the small pitter patter of feet that followed steadily behind him. He soon entered one of the areas that housed a security eye, he held out his hand to stop the kids from following him further. Didn't want them turning to stone if this thing was somehow still active. He stretched his arm out, shaking it slightly, the eye didn't move. He slowly stepped out until he was in the middle of the room, ready to dive for cover if it suddenly activated, It never activated. He looked at it with his right eye ablaze, smiling in satisfaction when he saw the wires connected to it, they were completely dead and void of electricity. Now to move on to the electric bars. He hardly noticed the increase of kids that followed him.

He entered the playroom and walked over to the circuit, locating the wires associated with the electric bars before cutting them. He was immensely pleased that he didn't get shocked as the electric gates shut down without compromising the lights in the room. He dusted his hands before pocketing his tools, turning around to find the large group of kids looking around the room with slight trepidation. A boy slowly grabbed a cube and started stacking it with a few others nearby, the rest of the group began to grab various toys and began to play with each other. The silent room soon began to fill with soft giggles of laughter that slowly grew in volume as the children allowed their desire to play run rampant. The scene made a warm smile appear on The Architects face.

He was pleased with the outcome of his work, with the children free to do as they wished without fear of The Janitor, they would properly follow him when the time came to escape. Restoring the playroom for them was simply a way to keep them out of his hair and busy while he worked. His plan was created to rationally take everything into account, no matter what that warm feeling in his chest made him think. This was all for his benefit, along with the success of the escape plan, the joy of the children was simply a side result of his actions. He was about to leave before he felt small hands on his pants and looked down, a few of the children were scaling his legs in an attempt to reach his shoulders with the girl from before leading over the rest. He sighed softly and carefully lifted each one up to his shoulders, their giggles filling his ears as the girl decided to seat herself at the top of his head. "Am I free to move now?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. The girl responded by patting his head three times before pointing forward dramatically.

He walked back towards his observation room carefully, making sure his hitchhikers were secure as he opened the secret door to his work space. He found Six and RK standing on the table that controlled the cameras, RK was in the process of pushing the button as he walked in. He abruptly stopped and regarded The Architect with a wide smile, bounding over to him. "Your back!" He exclaimed once he reached him, prompting the man to kneel and poke the boys stomach playfully. "Of course I am, what exactly have you two been doing?" He asked as the children on his shoulders disembarked to explore the room, the girl on his head refused to budge. "We were watching you through the cameras to make sure you weren't up to something." Six answered, her voice a bit warmer then the last time they spoke. She and RK obviously saw what he did, all the way down to him fixing the playroom and disabling the eyes. They were shocked as they watched everything unfold, it was one thing to hear an adult claim that they wanted to help them, it was a completely different experience to watch an adult actually free and care for children without a malicious agenda in mind.

Six still held a small bit of doubt, there has to be a reason why The Architect was so hellbent on freeing them and disabling The Maw. She had seen the scornful look he directed to the walls, the brief look of guilt that filled his face as he watched the children enact revenge upon The Janitor. She at least knew he was serious about this, his reasons for doing so is what made her weary. "Well at least you listened, I need to work on our escape plan." The Architect spoke as he walked over to his work bench, gently shooing the children away from the sharp tools before putting them away. They would need to keep the guests in a state of aggravation to draw The Lady's attention away from the compromised prison, keep her gaze elsewhere as he continued to dismantle this place from the inside. The growl of a hungry stomach made him look over at six, who was gripping her stomach with an expression of pain on her face. When was the last time she's eaten? He made his way to the fridge, taking out a small cut of chicken and cheese before offering it to the hungry girl.

She ripped it out of his hand and began to gorge herself quickly, leaving nothing left as he and RK looked on in shock. She eventually sighed in relief and had the decency to look embarrassed when she noticed their gaze. "Are you still hungry?" The Architect asked with a bit of concern, she had torn through that portion rather quickly. Six slowly shook her head. "...Thank you." She said softly, making the man smile and nod before an idea struck him. The guests would be in a frenzy if their food stopped coming up, leaving The Lady to deal with the backlash while they entered her quarters unnoticed. If The Chefs suffered a tragic "accident", they could rouse a real riot in the lobby when the food stopped flowing. All they would need to do from then is-

He paled a bit, The Lady would need to be dealt with, and he hardly saw a way of doing that without spilling some blood. The woman was unnatural and had an aura of malevolence about her, if she could keep The Maw running like a well oiled machine so thoroughly he was going to have to think of a better way of dealing with her. He doubted she would just let him smash a hammer over that mask and toss her overboard. "I have the beginnings of a plan, children." He spoke, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "We need to make sure The Chefs take an eternal break from their duties in the kitchen." The mention of The Chefs made some of the kids shudder in fear, they have heard stories about the gruesome cooks who chopped up their friends. How they caught any kid that stepped into their kitchen and gleefully added them to their dishes. No one would shed a tear if those monsters died.

"The main problem is how to deal with The Lady." The Architect sighed while rubbing his neck. The very mention of that vile woman caused the children to pale in fear, the girl on his head tightly gripped his hair, Six herself tightly clenched her fists as she thought about the woman that haunted her dreams. She quickly walked over to the monitor and hit the button multiple times, cycling through many channels before landing on a room that showed a small mirror resting on a small pillow. The Architect had noticed that The Lady's quarters were littered with broken mirrors, he had wondered why such a vain looking woman would have so many shattered mirrors. Did they perhaps strip her of whatever power she covets? He wasn't really an expert on such magical properties despite his own gift, nevertheless he examined the mirror with his right eye glowing a soft green. The mirror gleamed with an otherworldly light that seemed to build in the glass, it stood out when compared to its dark surroundings. If it could weaken the lady and take her magic away, that would leave them with a mortal woman. He could work with that.

"That mirror is special, it might be the only way to defeat The Lady." He said as the glow in his eye left, leaving the children to look at him in shock. Six was hanging on his words as he continued. "I'm not sure where that room is exactly but her quarters isn't that big, we should be able to find it with time." Six narrowed her eyes slightly, how did he know that? From what she knew he has only been active in this area of The Maw, the cameras didn't show every room in The Lady's quarters either. Her suspicion took a momentary backseat when she realized they had a way to make that woman hurt, badly. "I'll start heading up, I'll come back to get you once everything has been dealt with." The Architect stood to leave when he felt two pairs of hand cling to his shoulders, a turn of his head revealed Six and RK climbing up his shoulders (Why was everyone doing this?), giving him a slight glare once they settled themselves. "You can't just go alone, what if you get hurt and need help?" RK asked, making him blink before Six spoke from his left. "You're our only hope of leaving this place, we can't just let you do this alone." She stated.

The Architect sighed loudly, he would rather not endanger anyone unnecessarily if he could help it but they may very well follow anyway if he refused their help. "Fine, but you will both listen to me the entire time, am I clear?" He asked sternly, both children responded with salutes and smiles. He reached up and gingerly took the girl off his head before setting her on the table so he could speak to her. "This might take awhile, can I trust you to look after the others while we handle this?" He asked her softly, making her smile and nod. "What's your name, little one?" He asked. "Eveline... but my friends call me Eve." She answered shyly, making the man smile before he stood back up. "Hold the fort Eve, we'll be back before you know it." He said with a small wave and a smile before exiting the room with the children waving goodbye.

He walked silently to the elevator before RK asked. "How do you plan on dealing with Chef's?" The Architect smirked to himself, briefly scaring his occupants. "One at a time if possible, if they're both up and about I'll have to get a bit...creative." He said while patting his pouch slightly, making the kids shudder at the diabolical tone the usually kind man used as they entered the elevator.

They were suddenly very glad that he had their happiness in mind. 


	4. A Feast To Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio make their way to the kitchen where the The Chefs toil away. The Architect devises a plan to ensure their demise while Six and RK look for the keys, hoping to unlock the doors that block their new guardians way.

The elevator dinged as it reached the desired floor, it's doors slowly opening as The Architect walked through them. RK and Six still sat leisurely on his shoulders while taking in the sights from their elevated position. They were starting to enjoy this new mode of transportation for it's speed, it was a hassle to constantly traverse stairs and paths meant for larger humans. The children were more than happy to swing their tiny legs from where they sat, much to the amusement of the man. He was about to enter a walkway when he noticed a beam of light constantly surveying it, making him frown briefly before opening his breast pocket. "Slide in kids, don't want you turning into statues on my shoulders." He said, making them nod as they squeezed in with a slight struggle. The pocket wasn't exactly made to house two small children after all.

The Architect kept his hand over his breast pocket to ensure the light wouldn't filter in, slightly thankful that it didn't register him as an intruder. He reached the door and turned the handle, only for it to remain shut. Locked then, that complicated things. He couldn't enter through here and he doubted The Chefs would hear him if he knocked. He began to walk away, his thoughts racing to find an alternative means of entry before he spotted a line of hooks carrying bags into the kitchen. It seems The Janitor was able to process a few children before he bumped into him, he was briefly angered by this before coming up with a plan. Six and RK poked their heads out from his pocket when they noticed they were out of range of the eye. "What happened?" Six asked, wondering why they double backed. The Architect pointed at the door, prompting the two to look at it as he spoke.

"That door is locked, try to remember what it looks like because you two will need to unlock it so I can join you." He stated while walking over to the meat hooks, RK was about to ask how they were supposed to get in before he spotted the hooks. The boy looked up at the man with dread. "We're using that to get over, aren't we?" The man responded with a nod. He wasn't thrilled about letting the two of them march in there alone either but he had little choice, any other door that might lead in might be locked or much too far away.

"Afraid so, RK."

The boy was in deep thought before he asked. "You can't just toss us over?"

"Absolutely not! My throwing arm isn't that good anyway. Just hold on tight to the bag and you'll be fine." The man responded while holding his palm out, letting a nervous RK and determined Six step on before holding his hand up to the hooks passing overhead. Both children jumped onto a moving bag and gripped it tightly, RK pressed his body up against the bag as much as he could to stay on. They were slowly carried into the kitchen and out of the Architects line of sight, making him sit down and remove his pouch as he began to tinker with it's contents. A small grin made it's way to his face as he started working. Nothing bad about going back to the classics, especially when they were so effective.

-

RK and Six landed on a pile of bags once they cleared the window (they both pointedly ignored what was inside them) and began to make their way deeper into the kitchen. Only to stop when Six's stomach let out a loud growl, making her stop and grimace in pain. RK noticed this and looked over at her in concern. "Six? You okay?" He asked as the girl slowly caught up to him, her eyes a bit unfocused through her bangs and hood as she stumbled forward, prompting the boy to quickly grab her to support her. "Hungry...it hurts...." She mumbled as they kept moving, RK hardly gave the rodents that scattered any heed as he looked around for any source of food. A loud snap ahead made him jump, the distressed cries of a rat filling the air as they stumbled into a dark room with a rat stuck in a trap at the center. Another bout of angry growls sent the girl to her knees in agony, her breaths coming out heavy as she eyed the trapped rat with unrestrained hunger. RK was briefly disgusted when he realized what she was thinking.

"We're not too far from the kitchen, maybe we could-" That was as far as he got before the girl shoved herself off him and gripped the rat tightly, savagely tearing into it's throat with her teeth as it screeched in pain, thrashing in her grip before slowly stilling. RK watched with a hand clasped over his mouth, trying to keep his stomach in line as the girl took one last bloody bite before leaning back. The front of her yellow raincoat now had spots of red on it as she wiped her bloody chin with her sleeve. She was disgusted with how easily she caved when she caught sight of the trapped vermin, especially in front of someone she was slowly considering to be a friend. She briefly considered moving on before a hand was clasped onto her shoulder. She braced herself for a number of harsh or disgusted words.

"Are you feeling better?" The question made her blink in confusion before she slowly nodded, making the boy smile in relief. "That's good... this hunger of yours seems really bad... maybe The Architect can help you deal with it when we get out of here." She doubted it would be that simple, but she would be lying if the thought didn't spur some hope in her chest. The thought of their guardian made her refocus on the task at hand. "We should keep moving, the faster we get that door open the better." She said as they began to walk forward once again, slightly happy that RK instantly followed her with little hesitation. At least she didn't have to worry about him abandoning her, that small comfort made her feel a bit lighter as they moved a small trolley near a window, allowing them to jump up and enter a pantry.

The pantry was lined with plenty of meats and vegetables lining the shelves, the sight made Six frown deeply. Her hunger couldn't have waited a few more minutes before it struck her? Her anger left her when RK picked up a tomato and began biting into it happily. Apparently watching her devour a rat did little to stem his own hunger. He threw the half eaten tomato aside with a satisfied sigh, the sight of him rubbing his stomach with a messy face made her giggle slightly. He wiped his face clean with his sleeve before they moved on. The hallway to their left shined had a door all the way to the end, the lights above made them recognize it. It was door being overlooked by the security eye. They both shared a glance with each other before Six spoke. "You should get that door open while I move on, we can cover more ground and get The Architect a way in." The boy seemed a bit apprehensive about the plan. "Will you be okay by yourself?" He asked, not liking the idea of splitting up.

The girl shot him a pointed look. "Which one of us escaped the nursery?" She asked, making the boy frown a bit. He surely would have escaped too if The Architect hadn't found him, not that he was mad about such turn of events. Six's eyes softened a bit before she spoke again. "I'll be careful, just worry about getting the big guy in here." She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, she wasn't used to interacting with others this much. He eventually nodded with a smile of his own before he ran down the hall, leaving Six to slowly venture into the kitchen. The sounds of blades being sharpened made her freeze at the doorway, slowly peering in to see one of the Chefs standing over a table filled with meat. He had just finished sharpening his knife before grabbing a cut of meat from the pile, his fat fingers holding it steady as he cut it carefully, his slightly ragged breathing filled the room along with the sounds of meat being cut.

She slowly creeped behind him as he worked, making sure to make as little noise as possible when she entered a small vent that connected to the other room. She fell on a small table, making a few nearby Nomes scatter as a jar fell off and broke on the floor. She quickly jumped down and slid under the table when she heard the confused gasp the Chef made, hugging the wall as he walked over and examined the broken jar with a displeased look. He grunted and walked over to a nearby pot to resume his duties, giving her enough time to move to the table in the middle of the room that had a dead fish on top of it. She was about to continue moving when the Chef walked over and began cutting up the fish, she cursed her luck as she waited for him to move on.

-

RK was halfway down the hall when he heard something creak to his right, making him look up to see a flimsy metal tube break, hanging out the wall as a few leeches fell into the hallway with shrill cries. The boy's eyes widened before he took off with a sprint, the hungry creatures slowly gaining on him as he crawled under a fallen shelf. He made it to the end of the hall before quickly dragging a nearby bucket over to the door, scaling it before jumping at the door handle. He clumsily unlocked the door, thankful that it didn't require a key as it slowly swung open. This left him dangling over a group of leeches that were almost at his feet, his eyes widened in terror as one managed to snag his leg and start constricting around it. It was steadily making it's way up his body, making it hard to breath and retain his grip as it made it to his stomach. He barely registered the increasingly loud sound of thundering footsteps as tears welled in his eyes and his hands lost their grip, a hand swiftly caught him while two fingers pried the leech from his body. RK gasped loudly as he felt the suffocating tightness vanish, greedily filling his lungs with air as the sound of stomping filled the hall. He coughed a bit and managed to breath normally before meeting the concerned eyes of The Architect.

"Are you alright RK? I need you to take slow, steady breaths." He instructed softly, his instructions were ignored in favor of the boy burying his head in the mans chest while shaking terribly. Thoughts of what could have happened if he hadn't arrived made the boy sniffle a bit as he tried to get over his near death experience. All those leeches would have wrapped around him till he couldn't see, burying him in a mass of wiggling bodies where he would eventually-

The thought was swiftly chased away when he felt The Architect run a finger over his back in comforting circles, his voice low and soft as he spoke once more. "It's okay, you're okay. Nothing happened. You can relax and breath easily kid." He cooed as he held the boy close, slowly stepping over the leeches he stomped on as he walked down the hall. The boy slowly calmed down at his words, his grip on his vest relaxing slightly as the man continued to rub his back. Once he was sure RK calmed down enough, he asked a question. "Where is Six?" The boy leaned back to look at him, momentarily clearing his eyes before answering. "She went ahead to cover more ground." A rational plan, The Architect would have been pleased if he didn't have to worry about her getting caught by The Chefs. He slowly made his way past the pantry, peering into the room to find the Chef working on some sort of stew. He could barely make out a yellow figure climbing up some cabinets in the far end of the kitchen. He regarded RK with a serious look.

"I'm going to need you to be a little brave for me, okay?" The boy looked up at him for a moment before slowly nodding, not willing to let the man down just because he was a little shaken. The Architect smiled widely at his response before walking into the pantry.

-

Six had just made it to the top of the cabinet when she heard the voice of The Architect ring out in the kitchen. "Hello! Is the esteemed Chef of the kitchen present?" The cheerful voice made the Chef look up from his work, raising a brow at the man who had just pranced inside. The Architects eyes lit up when he saw him. "My busy friend! Do I have some wonderful news for you." The Chef scoffed, not amused by the man's theatrics as he approached him. He wrapped an arm around the fat shoulders of the Chef, leaning forward as he continued. "I managed to catch a child, riding one of the hooks in here like a joyride." The Chef turned to look at him with wide eyes, a child managed to make it here? They would make an excellent addition to the feast! Especially if he was still alive and fresh. The Architect eagerly gestured the heavier man to follow him, they both soon disappeared into the pantry. Leaving Six to clench her fists in rage, did The Architect betray them? Was that monster just waiting for a chance to offer them up to The Chefs?

She had just climbed through the vent when a loud yell of pain came from the pantry, making her jump slightly.

-

The Architect smiled as the Chef gripped his left leg in agony, the steel jaws of a bear trap held him in place, it's teeth digging deeply into the plump flesh of The Chef's ankle. It had dug in deeper than he expected, guess you can really do more when presented with better materials. He walked past the man panting in pain, slowly taking RK out of the bag he had set him up in before carrying him out of the room. The boy had played the part of bait perfectly, he was slightly guilty about using the child as bait but he knew the greedy bastard would instantly zero in on RK the moment he saw him. The Chef had gleefully ran inside the moment he laid eyes on the boy, the thoughts of making him an ingredient making the wicked man drool at the implications.

He wasn't going to feel bad about what he was about to do, not one bit.

He set the boy down and smiled kindly at him. "You were very brave in there RK, go find Six for me. I'm sure she'll need your help." He said while gently ushering the boy into the kitchen. The boy slowly nodded before he looked up at the man in concern. "What about you?" He asked, tilting his head a bit. He wasn't very keen on leaving his protector so soon without good reason. "I'm going to deal with The Chef, I'll catch up once I'm done." The Architect assured him with a slight wave of his hand, the boy missed him grabbing a knife on his way out as he entered the pantry, shutting the door behind him. The man's smile faded into a stoic look as he calmly walked over to the bleeding cook while glaring daggers at him, he removed his apron before putting it on himself. "I hope you don't mind me borrowing this, I don't like getting my clothes dirty." He said, watching as his captive tried desperately to open the bear trap. 

He grabbed one of his arms before plunging the knife into his hand, making him scream in pain as he yanked it out. The Architect disliked the loud noise so he grabbed the fallen chef's hat before stuffing it into his mouth, successfully gagging the man. He walked in front of the man and grasped his fat chin roughly, tilting his head up to look at him as he spoke. "I will admit, I'm not the best at cutting up meat. Don't have the years you do of cutting up helpless children and making them into food." He glared down at the wide eyes of The Chef. He briefly relished in the fear he saw behind those eyes, glad to make this monster feel just as powerless as the children he slaughtered. He had originally planned on putting both Chefs down quickly, convincing himself that wasting any time could hinder their escape. Personal feelings had no room in this, none of this was personal.

This promptly faded when he saw all of the bagged bodies of children in the other room.

Countless bodies were resting in trolleys and stacks, carefully preserved to ensure their use in the feast. The sight made his guilt and rage flare in equal measure, he chose to take his anger out on the piece of trash bleeding on the floor rather than thinking himself into a depression. This terrible excuse of a man deserved to suffer for taking such a sick pleasure in chopping up children, this could be considered karma. That made him feel a bit better as he glared down at the shaking Chef, his right eye burning a deep green as he smiled maliciously. "Thankfully, this eye of mine makes me a really quick learner, I'm sure I'll pick up on it with time." He assured while deftly twirling the knife into a reverse grip. " And believe me, we have plenty of time." He said as he raised the knife up, making The Chef shake his head frantically before he stabbed downwards. More muffled screams filled the room as The Architect completely focused on his work, idle hands are the Devil's workshop after all.

-

Six breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the elevator, a large key in her hands. She had woken the sleeping Chef to retrieve it, barely hiding under the bed in time when he flipped the lights on and looked around in confusion. He soon left to start his busy day, letting the girl slip out to the elevator. She exited the elevator just in time to see the Architect walk into the kitchen, making her stick to the wall before she looked over at the slightly ajar door of the pantry. The blood stains on the floor made her grit her teeth before she followed the man into the kitchen. She was foolish, trusting an adult so readily even after seeing all the terrible things they could do. Why would this man be any different? Especially in a world that seemed to take pleasure in the suffering of children.

She glared at the back of The Architects head, wishing he would drop dead by her spite alone. He discarded the bloody apron he was wearing in a sink, looking at his slightly bloodstained sleeves in disgust. Six gripped the key tightly as she felt her anger grow. He had the audacity to make such a face after pretending to care about them!? She would throttle the man if she could! She settled for sneaking past him while he washed his hands in the sink. She managed to step into the main kitchen area, walking all the way to the locked door before stopping at the sight that greeted her.

RK was trying to ascend the same cabinets she was when he turned to look at her, a wide smile blossomed on his face as he hopped back down to the floor. "Six! I've been looking for you!" He said as he ran over to the girl, enveloping her in a quick hug. She was momentarily shocked by both the hug and the sight of her friend still being alive. She slowly hugged back before he pulled back and noticed the key in her hands. "You found the key, great job." He praised as the raincoat wearing girl slowly got her wits back. Why was he standing here? Didn't The Architect give him to the Chef and cut him up? Where exactly is the Chef anyway? She stepped back and asked in a hushed voice. "Where's the Chef?"

"He's been taken care of." The soft voice of The Architect made her jump, nearly dropping the key in surprise as she turned around to look at the smiling man. Not a drop of blood was visible on his person as he took the key and unlocked the door. "Good work finding the key Six, let's hurry and find the other Chef and shut this place down." He said while holding his hand out for them to climb on, RK climbed on while Six stared at the man with a suspicious look. He tilted his head in confusion and sighed a bit. "I thought we were past suspicion, child." He said as he stared down at her.

"Why did you talk to the Chef like that? Like you were going to offer RK up to him?" She asked while crossing her arms. He was hoping she hadn't heard that, vocalizing his reason was going to make him feel even worse about using him in such a way. "I was using him as bait to lure the Chef in, it worked." He said simply, causing the girl to narrow her eyes at him. Perhaps he should have worded that a bit better, he quickly spoke again. "If I could have disposed of the Chef any other way, I would have. I'm not exactly a brawler, I wasn't sure if I could take care of him in a fair fight, so I made sure it wasn't fair for him." He explained, no point in rushing into a battle you wouldn't win. He wasn't exactly in a hurry to kill himself despite his self loathing tendencies.

The girl stared at him for a moment, looking for the slightest hint of deceit. "I wouldn't gamble with your lives so carelessly, my goal is to free all of you and leave this place. I don't plan on giving any of you up for an easy out." He said, looking Six in the eye as best he could. The girl held his gaze for a moment before sighing and stepping onto his hand, making both him and RK smile as they began to traverse deeper into the kitchen. The Architect walked in silence, soon finding himself in a room filled with dirty dishes. This is where they found the second Chef toiling away with an angry look, probably upset that he couldn't find his partner to help deal with the workload. The Architect observed the room with a critical eye, trying to see how he could dispatch the man while avoiding a direct confrontation. His eyes lingered on the hooks above, they were most likely used to deliver clean dishes to the dinning area, meaning there was a ledge or drop off point.

They just needed him to be there before giving him a nice shove, a painless death for such a vile man but beggars can't be choosers he supposed. Probably wasted enough time with the other one anyway. "Do you two see the hooks above?" He asked quietly, making the two children nod. "They lead to a ledge where they send clean dishes up, if we lead him there, all it would take is a little push." Both kids nodded along before realizing where this plan was going, giving him a dreadful look as he continued. "Unfortunately you two would have to act as bait, I don't like it any more than you do but this is the quickest way of dealing with him. I'm going to reverse the flow, you two just get ready to hitch a ride." RK just gave a nervous sigh while Six hopped off his hand to prepare herself, it was bad that the boy was starting to get used to that feeling of adrenaline when put in these situations.

The Architect walked inside, offering a casual wave to the curious Chef as he walked past him and into the back. He flipped the switch that controlled the movement of the hooks, causing the Chef to look at him in pure confusion before the sounds of a shattering plate drew his attention away. He looked up with wide eyes to see two children covered in suds hanging onto the hooks, he looked over at The Architect who simply nodded before sprinting through the service door. He grinned as he followed the line of moving hooks directly. He wasn't sure how these brats got so far, but he wasn't about to turn down fresh ingredients. He smashed through a door, expecting to see the other man standing by the balcony to intercept them, only to be met with the sight of the children running further down the hall.

He growled to himself in frustration as he chased after them, if they got to the edge then they could ride out on those hooks! Where the hell was The Architect!? How do you get lost in your own creation!? These thoughts swam around the Chefs head as he desperately threw a bottle of wine at the kids in hopes of tripping one up. His aim was off and it ended up smashing against the table they were running towards, he had just cleared the table when both children grabbed onto the hooks and began to ascend out of his reach, leaving the Chef fuming as he reached out a hand to grab them. His anger only spiked when he heard quick footsteps behind him, he turned to give the slow idiot a piece of his mind when he felt him crash into him while he was still leaning on the railing. This caused him to tumble over while frantically clawing at anything to balance himself, he managed to catch the edge with his large fingers, his grip slowly tiring as he tried to lift himself up.

The Architect watched him struggle for a moment, seemingly enjoying the sight before slowly grinding his foot against the Chefs left hand, making him cry out in pain as he lost his grip. He moved his foot over to the right hand as the Chef frantically shook his head and stumbled over his words in an attempt to plead for his life. The Architect was once again reminded of that hanging boy he killed in the forest that looked exactly the same, eyes wide with a pale face that begged for mercy. The only difference was the Chef wasn't crying crocodile tears in an effort to save himself, guess he didn't value his life that much. With that thought, he stomped on his fingers, watching as the Chef fell into the depths while screaming in fear and rage. He thought to himself for a moment. Nope, nothing, killing these people was getting much easier and he wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. He cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted. "Keep going! I'll meet you two up ahead!"

RK shouted back. "Okay! Be careful!" Wasn't that supposed to be his line? Six simply gave him a thumbs up before tugging the boy along through the vent. The Architect walked away and began searching for the service elevator that lead up to the dinning area. Smiling to himself as he imagined the hell that awaited The Lady once the guests realized their food had stopped flowing in. Either she would have to calm the ensuring outrage herself or simply cull the herd earlier then she would like. That would lead them with less guests to deal with, oh how he hoped she would kill them. He would have to see for himself if it came to pass.

He deserved to see the fruits of his labor after all. 


	5. Den of Wolves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Architect enters the dinning area to see the chaos he's sewn come to life while the children evade and sneak past the few guests still feasting. The Lady decides to deal with the uproar as she see's fit.

The Architect stepped off the elevator with a smile, twirling a screwdriver in his hand absentmindedly as he began to walk to the dinning area. If his initial prediction was confirmed, a new wave of hungry guests should be entering the vessel with empty stomachs and eager steps. With no one left to carry the food up, they would quickly eat through the old food set up where the old guests were eating. He wasn't quite sure if they would complain about the cold food, but he was sure they would eat through it like the ravenous dogs they were. Once they had nothing left to bite but each other (He hoped they wouldn't, needed them to draw The Lady's ire) they would go to the governess of this establishment to complain. Whatever happened after that was fine so long as they got into her quarters, finding that mirror was their top priority. He could end this nightmare and leave this whole terrible experience behind him. He was tired of this crushing guilt that threatened to shatter him under it's weight.

He had felt a bit better when he dropped the Janitor, he felt great after killing the Chefs. Hopefully the death of The Lady would wash the last of his guilt away. He ignored the dark voice in the back of his mind that reminded him why this place existed in the first place, telling him how years of suffering could have been averted if he just let himself die in that forest. What was all of this going to do for the dead? The ones already chopped up and resting in someone's stomach. Did any of this matter to them? Would they rest peacefully afterwards? What made him think their spirits wouldn't just haunt his dreams while screaming at him, blaming him for the years they couldn't experience because of **his** creation. They had every right to curse his name, he didn't deserve the freedom his actions would bring. He didn't-

A loud bang filled the silent hall as The Architect slammed his fist into the wall, breathing angrily as his fist shook slightly against the wall. He took a deep, calm breath before withdrawing his hand. Work came first, he could freely feel like a terrible piece of shit once he was the last adult breathing on this wretched vessel. The dull ache in his hand made him wince a bit as he continued walking. That's what happens when you punch a metal wall you moron, get a grip and focus. He clenched his fists as he entered the dinning room.

This place would break before he did.

-

Six and RK were slowly climbing a long ladder leading up to the sounds of the ocean and the squawks of seagulls. Their excitement was easily palpable as they climbed, eager to see and feel the sun against their skins after spending so much time confided in the dark corridors of The Maw. They soon reached the top and were temporarily blinded by the rays of light that assaulted their eyes, eyes that were too use to the dark. They slowly began to tolerate the bright glare enough to look around, both children having different reactions to the sight of the wide ocean waters that went on for miles. The salty scent of the sea tickled their nose as they breathed in the fresh air around them, air free of the scent of blood and metal that they were used to. Six was beaming at the sight, wanting nothing more than to reach the horizon and be as far from this place as possible. Away from the suffering that it caused and the wails of frightened children.

RK had similar thoughts before his eyes fell on the waves below, he paled slightly when he remembered his nightmare. The feeling of panic and helplessness that terrified him as he swam through an endless body of water, only to be yanked below by a gnarled hand. He certainly feared large bodies of water, that dream was too vivid to ignore and left him short of breath whenever he saw anything like this. He'd rather stay on something solid, even if it was this deathtrap that killed kids in droves. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Six tugged on his hand, looking at him with concern. "You alright RK? You looked sick for a second." She said as he shook his head, quickly climbing the ladder that would take them higher up. "Just not a big fan of the ocean." He responded as the girl followed him up with a furrowed brow. "I don't think any kid our size is either. Pretty easy for a wave to take you." She said seriously, not wanting to imagine herself getting swept under a large wave. Her words just made the boy climb faster, eager to get away from the sounds of crashing waves.

They soon reached the top as Six decided to change the topic, discomfort was rolling off the boy in waves whenever she mentioned the ocean. "So... The Architect saved you after you opened the door?" He had regaled her with the story while they were traveling in the vents, leaving her with mixed feelings about the man. He was willing to use them as bait to achieve their goals but was quick to stop any harm from befalling them. It left her more and more curious about what exactly was driving The Architect forward, it would have been much easier to just sit in that observation room and report their attempts of escape to The Janitor. So why do all of this? "Yeah... he pried a leech off me while stomping on the rest. The only thing I heard was his footsteps before I could suddenly breath again...it was pretty terrifying." He admitted with a shudder, not really past the near death experience despite the time that has passed. Six couldn't blame him, being suffocated and eaten by leeches sounded like a terrible way to die.

"How did you meet him anyway?" She asked after a moment of silence, wondering how the boy ever made contact with their guardian (That was slowly getting easier to say.) The boy looked sheepish for a moment before he began to explain. "I woke up from a nightmare and decided that I wanted out, couldn't deal with the nursery anymore. I was following some girl with a flashlight past the security eye and into the playroom when he showed up. He was searching the room for me in there for awhile, I was terrified when I saw that eye of his scan the room." Six momentarily shuddered at the image of The Architect roaming a dark room with his eye ablaze, it was frightening enough to see when he worked on something that caught his interest. She smugly smiled when she realized he was caught escaping, the boy rolled his eyes at her look before he continued. "He fixed the power in the room and stopped me before I could make it through the electric gate, grabbing me with his hand before taking me back to the observation room while I struggled, going as far as to bite his hand." They both giggled for a moment as they pictured the man shaking his hand angrily while cursing loudly.

"We eventually made it into the room, he placed me on the ground and looked me over for a moment while I glared at him. He then pinned me down with a hand while grabbing a small saw from his tools. I honestly thought I was going to die then... chopped up by some glowing eyed monster. He cut the shackle off my ankle and let me go, never once nicking me with the blades. We started talking after that and the rest was history." He finished with a soft smile, rubbing his slightly bruised ankle before moving through a vent with Six close behind. They soon fell on a grate with a muffled grunt, pulling off a wooden board before proceeding. The last of the new guests walked beneath them, their march slow and lazy as they entered the Maw. The fat pigs were going to be real disappointed soon, they couldn't wait to see it.

Six decided to ask the last question on her mind. "Why do you think he's helping us?" She still couldn't quite fathom why he was helping them escape when he could leave easily without lifting a finger to help them. RK thought about it for a second before he answered. "Every time he looks at us he has this immense guilt in his eyes, he had that same look when he saved me from the leeches. I thought he just wanted to use us to help him get out of here at first but...his actions don't line up with that. He didn't have to remove my shackle, he didn't have to sit by me as I slept to make sure I wouldn't be afraid, He didn't have to let the kids beat up the Janitor and make most of the floor safe for them to play and laugh in." Six slowly nodded at his words, listening intently as he continued.

"He **chose** to do all of that, knowing it wasn't necessary in his plans to escape. I think he feels responsible for all of us, that's why he looks so guilty whenever he thinks we're not looking." It was hard to miss those faces he made whenever he was lost in thought, she knew he was feeling guilty about something but where exactly did it stem from? Was it because he couldn't help them sooner? There was still much they didn't know about their handy savior and it made her a bit anxious. The only thing stopping her from completely doubting him was how he cared for the children, the warm expressions of joy he had as he walked with all those kids hanging off his shoulders. You couldn't fake such an expression in a million years, it was just too genuine. The Architect cared for every last one of them and was willing to kill his colleagues and his own boss just to give them a chance of leaving The Maw safely. The risks involved with this course of action would make any sane person scrap the idea quickly.

The Architect refused to do that.

Six couldn't wrap her head around such a selfless act, years of looking out for herself made the concept seem completely alien to her. She was barely used to helping and relying on RK to clear some of the dangerous gaps they stumbled upon. She snapped out of her thoughts when they reached a wooded plank that lead to the entrance of the dinning area, they were able to see the mob of angry guests that were standing by the bridge that lead inside. They were angrily shaking their fists while shouting up at The Lady who regarded them with a blank stare, her posture betraying nothing despite how big the crowd grew. Both children spied a tall figure hidden in the shadows at the other end of the bridge, the figure seemed to see them too as their eye flashed green two times. The Architect looked just as pleased as they did as more guests screamed up at the calm woman. They were about to climb the wooden supports up to the dinning area when the air suddenly grew colder, a feeling of dread and panic welled in their chests as they looked back at the bridge.

The Lady had a single hand outstretched, sucking some black miasma out of the now panicking guests with a cold glare hidden behind her mask. The guests clutched their throats, their faces warped in expressions of pure agony as they began to fall one by one, their bodies tumbling off the bridge as The Lady ruthlessly silenced the loud animals. The last one fell with a withering gasp, twitching a bit as The Lady retreated back into her quarters without sparing a glance to the corpses below. RK and Six looked at all of the corpses in mute shock, not believing how silent everything had gotten after that massacre. She just...killed them all, like swatting a buzzing fly that annoyed her. Not a single guest came out to voice further complaints. They looked over at The Architect who slowly crossed the bridge with slightly narrowed eyes, his thoughts running rampant as he processed what just happened. He looked over at them and spoke.

"Keep going, I'll find a way to link up with you. Do not get anywhere near that woman." He sternly ordered, making the terrified children nod as they entered the dinning area. The Architect stared at the corpses for a moment before moving on, he wasn't expecting her to kill so many guests, he thought she would kill a few to set an example or something. At least this left less threats to deal with in the dinning hall, RK and Six shouldn't have too much trouble traversing the area. He sped up his walk, eager to reunite with the children before anything happened to them, just because they had less to worry about didn't mean they were completely safe.

-

Six and RK tried their best to forget what just happened as they moved through several vacant rooms with cleaned out tables, guess this is where those upset guests came from. They scaled a mountain of plates before using a hanging lantern to swing to the next room through a small window. A single guest sat at a large table, slowly eating the food in front of him with a pale face. Apparently some of them had enough sense to leave their fellows to their fate to eat whatever was present. The fat mans eyes lit up as he saw them climb up the table, feebly reaching out to the children with slight pants of exertion. They ignored the glutton and continued on their way, climbing up a wooden decoration to enter the next room. They scaled up another decoration and jumped onto a platform void of food and drinks, another sign of their plan working well. This floor seemed more populated with guests if the sounds of noisy eating was anything to go by.

They swiftly ran out the room as one of the guests caught their scent, eagerly throwing himself to the ground to pursue them as they sprinted. He was joined by a large woman as the children barely evaded their grasping hands, jumping and grasping another lamp before swinging themselves over to the other side safely. The children found themselves in a large hall packed with guests, all of them feasting on cold and leftover food with frowns and sneers, their fear kept them from following in the footsteps of their deceased peers. Six greatly enjoyed the miserable looks on their faces, served the fat gluttons right for all the kids they've shoved down their gullets. One of the guests noticed them and scrambled over, forcing them to backtrack back over to a nearby table. The fat man got stuck as he tried to grab them, making both children laugh loudly and mockingly at the sight before they jumped off the table, using his body as a springboard as they jumped over him. They quickly ran to the other end of the hall.

They slide into a wooden opening, squeezing through a wooden fence before falling right in front of an elevator. The switch was much too high for them to jump to, so RK quickly stood by the wall and cupped his hands together, boosting a running Six up just enough to grab and pull the switch down. They entered the elevator as soon as it arrived, taking it up a floor before getting off. RK stopped as he heard the sounds of snores come from one of the rooms nearby, he curiously walked in with Six following him to find a guest fast asleep on a bed. A Nome sat in the room, looking at the hand plunged in a bucket of water with what could closely resemble pride. Both children had to fight the urge to laugh as they hugged the mischievous little creature before resuming their march through the dinning area.

They made it about five steps before one of the sliding doors opened, revealing a mask wearing guest who eyed them with hunger as he tried to get out of the room filled with other sleeping guests. The children broke into a sprint as more doors opened, their pursuers growing in number as they entered the next room and slid under the table before bolting out of the room. They heard the table shatter behind them as they descended a flight of stairs, their hearts jumping into their throats as the doorway behind them crumbled under the tidal wave of bodies chasing them. They narrowly avoided getting crushed by a falling cabinet, scrambling over the one that blocked their path as the guests slowly gained on them. They jumped onto a table where other guests were eating, their attention swiftly went to the running children as the mob behind them climbed the table to pursue the tasty morsels. A hanging lamp at the end of the table was their only salvation.

They jumped and gripped the lantern tightly, the post it was attached to snapped under their combine weight and made them swing to an adjacent balcony just as a determined guest lunged at them. She fell screaming to the depths below as the children rolled across the ground, panting from their spots on the floor as they tried to calm their racing hearts. Six slowly sat up before looking over at RK. "You okay over there RK?" She asked, getting a slowly raised thumbs up from the tired boy. "Never better." He quipped sarcastically, making the girl smile for a moment as they slowly got up. Their joking quickly ended when the sliding doors ahead of them opened, causing them to tense.

They relaxed when The Architect walked in, an amused smile on his face as he spoke. "You guys expecting someone else?" He asked as he crouched to look at the two of them. RK answered with a scoff. "Yeah, someone a bit fatter for instance." He said with a smile, glad to see their guardian once more. The man laughed in response, turning around to lead them in as he spoke. "I found the elevator to The Lady's quarters, its not that far from here." He stated as the children followed him, only to be halted by a noisy growl from Six's stomach. The girl clutched her stomach tightly as pain ripped through her nerves, making RK pale before he quickly ran ahead to find some food for the girl. The man was about to tell him to wait when the girl bolted after the boy, her stomach growing louder as she walked into the next room.

The Architect had just reached the door when RK's voice sounded off from inside, sounding excited as he happily reported his findings.

"Look Six! I found a sausage, it's still a bit warm too-"

That was as far as he got, his voice breaking into a startled shout that sent The Architects senses into overdrive. He broke through the paper door to find a sight that made his blood turn to ice in his veins. Six was on top of RK, trying to bite into his neck while the boy was holding her head back with a wide eyed look of fear, crying out as she got closer and closer to his throat. "Six! S-Stop! It's RK, your friend! Please stop!" He shouted in panic and fear with a cracking voice, the girl payed his voice little heed as she slapped his arms away and gripped his shoulders before plunging her head down to bite. Only to be snatched away from her food by a large hand, causing her to yell in outrage as she clawed at The Architects hand. He had just grabbed the sausage when he felt a sharp pain in his hand, making him shout in pain as he loosened his grip on the little cannibal. She was savagely tearing into his hand before he pried her off with a hiss of agony, stuffing the sausage into her bloody jaw before setting her down.

She eagerly wolfed the whole thing down in seconds, breathing heavily as she licked her lips. A satisfied smile appeared on her face before her mind caught up to what she just did, Her eyes widen as she looked over at the terrified RK who was looking at her like she was a wild animal. She slowly looked at The Architect to see him grabbing some gauze from his pouch, he was prepared for possible injuries since he could easily cut himself with his tools, he had enough scars on his hands as evidence. He also carried it in case RK or Six got hurt. The girl stared at the bleeding wound on his palm as he disinfected it, a good chunk of flesh was gone. Six felt tears burn the edges of her eyes as disgust filled her, she did that. That wasn't from an adult or accident, that was all her. She may have not completely trusted the man but that didn't mean she wanted to hurt him, especially in such a savage way!

"I-I..I didn't mean to..." Her voice sounded pathetically weak to her own ears as tears slid down her cheeks. The Architect regarded her with a stoic look before he wrapped his injured hand up completely, his free hand grasped the crying girl and pulled her in. She braced herself to be crushed, flattened, thrown into a wall, hell even eaten by the enraged man she had hurt. The same man who helped them without a second thought and fed her when her hunger brought her pain in his presence. He selflessly looked out for every one of them and how does she repay him? By tearing a chunk out of his hand, she deserved whatever punishment was coming her way.

That was why she was so confused when all she heard was the steady sound of the mans heartbeat as he held her close, similarly to what he's done with RK after saving him from the leeches. Her confusion turned to shock as she felt him rub comforting circles on her back, making her tears fall faster as she tried to wiggle out of his grip, she didn't deserve this at all! She was ready to kill RK to satisfy her stupid stomach, he should be furious at her, calling her horrible names while yelling at her. He only tightened his grip and spoke softly "It's okay Six, RK is okay and nothing bad happened." He calmly assured, making her snap her head to look up at him with disbelieving eyes.

"But I hurt you! I bit a whole chunk off your hand!" She wailed in dismay, her tears falling freely as all pretense of control shattered. He responded by smiling softly. "Better my hand than RK's life, this is nothing anyway. I'm not mad at you at all Six, what just happened wasn't your fault. Your hunger made you react that way, I know you wouldn't hurt me or RK if you could help it.:" He said as he pulled the hood of her raincoat down, revealing her messy black hair and puffy eyes. The sight made his heart clench painfully as he wiped the blood and tears off her face with a small strip of gauze. The girl nearly fell into another bout of tears before she buried her head in his chest, shaking terribly as he calmly stroked her hair.

RK was sitting up on the floor, still clutching his chest as he watched the usually strong and determined girl break down on The Architects chest. The man patiently waited till she got it all out of her system, comfortingly rubbing her back as he gently assured her that everything was fine. She slowly calmed down and left the mans caring embrace, looking at the boy with a look of pure guilt. The scary monster wearing his friends skin was gone, replaced with the visage of a girl who was terrified by the thought of her friends harsh reaction to her actions. "I'm so sorry RK... I didn't want to hurt you at all... I was just so hungry and it hurt so bad-" He cut her apology short by hugging the stricken girl, making her straighten for a moment before she tightly returned the embrace.

"It's ok, if the big guy isn't mad, I shouldn't be either. I know you wouldn't do any of that intentionally." He said with a smile, making Six cling to him tighter. Relief couldn't even begin to describe what she felt when she heard him say that, he could have easily scorned her for the rest of their days if he so pleased and that would have been understandable. The fact that they were both willing to overlook this and continue to be her friends made her heart soar with joy. They broke off the hug when they heard the Architect speak. "I'm not sure how much I enjoy being called "big guy." He said with a small smile, causing the boy to childishly stick his tongue out while Six let out a weak giggle. "Too bad! The name stuck pretty well." RK exclaimed as the man rolled his eyes, gently picking up the troublesome children before walking out of the room and heading to the elevator leading to The Lady's quarters.

They arrived just in time to see her take the lift up, The Architect was immensely happy that the murderous witch hadn't spotted them. He waited a few seconds before looking at the two kids in his grasp. "No turning back now, we find that mirror and end this." He said seriously, causing the two kids to straighten up. RK looked a bit nervous but was still determined to end this nightmare, Six just nodded. She was going to make sure this ended, the hunger, the suffering, all of it. The man smiled with a bit of pride when he saw their resolve, real troopers the both of them. He called the elevator back down, stepping into the cold lift slowly before he pressed the button to ascend.

His hand ached painfully but he took that in stride, a small bite was the least he deserved for making such a hellish place. He would deal with this distracting guilt once The Lady was dealt with, a peaceful future couldn't exist with her present.

He would undue all of the damage he's wrought by smashing that stupid mask into a million pieces. 


	6. Resignation and Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio face off against The Lady in her quarters, determined to put this nightmare to rest. Change is coming for the terrible place known as The Maw.

The elevator the trio was riding slowly halted, opening slowly as they observed their surroundings with a critical eye. This was where The Lady lived and rested, treading lightly seemed to be the best course of action in such a cold and wicked place. Purple wallpaper lined the walls along with disturbing portraits of eyes and disfigured people. The Architect was briefly reminded of The Signal Tower in all it's fleshy glory, the eyes that peered down at him from the walls as if judging his worth. The children were slightly off put by their surroundings, noting the shattered mirrors they would come across as they continued to walk. They soon stopped when they entered a room, the soft voice of a woman was slowly humming a haunting tune above them. The Architect slowly climbed the stairs with the two kids, trying his best not to make a sound.

This reminded him of his days of creeping through the forest, setting up snares and traps while hugging the ground whenever he heard the slightest bit of noise. They eventually reached the top and creeped over to a slightly ajar door, peering in to see The Lady standing in front of a broken mirror as she ran a brush through her hair. The Architect looked at the wooden floorboards with a grimace, no way in hell was he going to creep up on the witch without alerting her. So much for ending this quickly, he wasn't keen on getting his soul sucked out. He looked back downstairs, spotting the locked door that may lead them to the only working mirror in this place. He sighed quietly when he realized what he was going to have to do, he turned to look at Six and RK only to see them already climbing down his shoulders to enter the room. Was he becoming that transparent? They gave him a small, determined nod which he returned before he creeped back downstairs, leaving them to slowly enter the room filled with mannequins and paintings.

RK and Six slowly creeped past the woman, staying as low as possible to the ground while keeping their breaths nice and quiet. Their hearts thundered in their chest until they finally reached the other side of the room, entering The Lady's bedroom slowly while looking around. RK jumped onto the bed to look around while Six looked around the room. The boy managed to spot a vase with an eye symbol painted on it resting on the bedside table, he had a hunch the key was inside that vase. Six caught his gaze, sharing an uncomfortable look when they realized that they would have to break it to get it's contents. There was no way The Lady wouldn't hear it from the other room. Six quickly hid under the bed as RK jumped onto the table and slowly started to push the vase.

The Architect jumped from his hiding place below when he heard a vase shatter, staying in the shadow of the stairway as the woman above let out a soft gasp. He couldn't hear anything besides his own heartbeat in his ears, straining them to pick up the slightest sound of movement. He heard nothing, no footsteps descending down, no enraged shriek from the woman, it was dead quiet. He never thought such a lack of noise would make him feel so scared. He wiped some sweat off his brow as he wondered if the children had been captured, his fears soon left when they descended down the stairs with a key in their hands. They raised it triumphantly as he slowly walked out of his hiding spot, making him grin as they swiftly unlocked the door and opened it. They peered into the room while slowly stepping inside, the man quickly began to follow before they completely entered. He was about two steps away when the door slammed shut in his face, making him cry out in pain and surprise while scrambling back, holding his nose with a grimace as blood slowly leaked out of his nostrils.

His eyes widen when he felt that same cold feeling deep in his core, the same feeling that filled the air when The Lady killed the guests. It was coming from the other side of the door, the same door that the children were currently stuck behind with that monster. The thought sent his mind into a panicked frenzy as he tried to open the door to no avail, he took his hammer out at record time before slamming it into the door as hard as he could. He felt the wood give way as he continued to strike the door with adrenaline fueled blows, yelling loudly in the hopes of warning Six and RK.

"Run!" She's in the room with you! Get away!"

-

Six and RK had just barely started running when they heard viscous blows strike against the door behind them. The Lady swiftly materialized behind them in the dark, a low and haunting wail building up in volume as she pursued them through the room filled with mannequins and dressers. Six gripped RK's hand tightly as they ran through the dark room, her lighter being their only source of light as they felt that cold and malevolent feeling dig deep into their very souls. Their legs were burning while their lungs demanded air, both were ignored as the phantom like woman began to gain on them. They slid through a crack in the floor with a small burst of black smoke trailing them when The Lady collided with the wall, their breaths were visible as they panted, neither daring to stay still as they pressed on with shaky breaths.

Their senses were screaming at them to run, the unnaturally cold atmosphere of the room did little to calm them as they passed mannequin after mannequin, half expecting one to come to life and take them into the dark. They found a boarded up room and quickly worked to remove the plank in their way. They fell once they pulled it off, quickly sprinting into the room and spotting the mirror on the table sitting comfortably on a cushion. Six jumped up and swiftly grabbed it before falling back down to the floor. RK smiled widely at the sight of the mirror. "Good, we can finally fight back against that witch!" He said with relief, making the girl grin at the thought of doing some damage to the dreaded women stalking them. They both left the room and felt their blood freeze when they spotted The Lady standing in the middle of the room as if she was waiting for them.

Six grit her teeth and swiftly banished her fear as she stepped forward with the mirror in hand, RK close behind her as they advanced on the woman. They both stopped dead in their tracks as the lights went out above her, making her disappear before their eyes. They both rapidly looked around the room for any trace of the woman, seeing nothing but darkness before a light slowly shined to the left of the room. They quickly scrambled into the light, not feeling safe in the slightest in the dark. The sound of rustling clothes to their right made them look up to see The Lady swiftly approaching them, her mask the only visible thing they could see in the dark. Six pointed the mirror at her, causing a bright light to shine and appear to burn The Lady, slowing her advance as she desperately reached out to grab them. The woman was forced back by a intense blast of light, causing her to scream in pain before fading back into the dark in a swirl of black smoke. The light above the kids slowly died, appearing elsewhere in the room.

They ran over to it just in time to repel another assault by The Lady, sending her screaming back into the dark as Six was sent to the ground by the mirror's intense blast. This game of cat and mouse repeated itself a few times with The Lady menacingly floating around the corner of their eyes to keep the children guessing, never really knowing where she might strike from. Six felt intense satisfaction whenever she sent the vile woman wailing back into the dark with the bright glare of the mirror. It brought her immense joy to know that she, little Six, was making the woman of her nightmares scream in anguish and rage. The Lady couldn't keep this up forever, eventually her powers would diminish and leave her vulnerable, leaving her at their mercy. They could do this, all it would take was one more blast and they could end this! No more nightmares, no more death, all of it would die with The Lady!

This thought abruptly died when the light above them vanished, leaving both of the surprised kids staring at the darkness before they felt that cold feeling of dread race up their spine. They turned around to find The Lady towering over them with a frigid glare hidden behind her mask. Fear paralyzed them both as she reached down and grabbed Six, her frightened screams snapped RK out of his daze and made him rush forward to help. Only to be stopped as the woman raised her hand and gripped him with her dark magic, making him sputter and cough as she glared down at her source of pain. Six slowly felt something leaving her body, looking down to see wispy black smoke leave her body and enter The Lady. The pain soon registered as she began to scream in agony, desperately clawing at the woman's hand as tears of pain welled up in her eyes. She felt like she would black out at any second, her struggles weakening slightly as she tried to blink away the dark spots in her vision.

The room suddenly became bright red as a flare was thrown in between them, making The Lady shout in surprise as she dropped the children in favor of shielding her eyes. Both children landed on the ground with a painful thud, Six was panting heavily as her body shook from the pain while RK breathed heavily as the black smoke that was getting sucked out of him swiftly returned to him. They both barely brought their heads up in time to see The Architect bury a screwdriver into the woman's stomach, making her let out a bloodcurdling scream as he twisted it painfully inside of her. She quickly responded by bringing her hand over his face, directly over his blazing green right eye before channeling her magic once more. The Architect screamed in pain but refused to let the woman leave his grasp, roughly gripping her neck with one hand as the other attempted to rip the screwdriver out for another stab. Six used this precious time to slowly crawl towards the discarded mirror with RK as the woman coughed and choked.

The Lady gripped the arm holding the screwdriver tightly, refusing to let the tool leave her flesh as she focused on draining the life from the weakening man. The Architect's eye slowly grew less bright, flaring at random intervals as the woman slowly killed him. His grip on her throat grew weaker as his other hand started to go limp, leaving the woman free to grip his throat as he weakly tried to push her away. RK and Six lifted the mirror up and shined it at the pair of adults, fueled by adrenaline as their guardian wailed in agony. The burning glare of the mirror made The Lady sharply look at the children with wide eyes before the mirror blasted her away from the man with a deafening scream, shattering the mirror as the last of it's magic was expended.

Both adults were on the ground panting in pain as the children slowly stood up after the mirror broke, RK swiftly ran over to the downed man as he rapidly shook his shoulder. "Architect! Are you okay?! Say something!" The boy pleaded with wide eyes. The man slowly rolled onto his pack with a sharp hiss of pain, making the boy wrap his arms around his neck to hug the groaning man "I'm alright kid...just need a minute to get over having my soul nearly sucked out..." He joked weakly before coughing harshly, making the boy step back to give the injured man some space. Six had a relieved smile on her face as she stared at the two before her stomach growled fiercely, making her grimace in pain as she held her rumbling stomach. Her eyes slowly trailed over to the downed form of The Lady.

The girl slowly approached the wounded woman as her stomach growled painfully, her mouth salivating at the sight of her tender, exposed neck. The Architect slowly propped himself up on his elbows with a concerned RK trying his best to support him. They both watched the hungry Six approach The Lady with mounting dread. The girl had just reached the panting woman as The Architect weakly called out.

"Six, wait...!"

His warning came too late as the girl pushed the struggling woman down before plunging her teeth into her throat. She easily tore through the soft flesh as she began to rip strings of meat from the gasping woman's throat. The Lady's screams turned into wet gurgles as Six savagely tore into her throat. A large puddle of blood began to form as The Architect swiftly shielded RK's eyes from the gruesome sight, judging by the boys rapidly paling complexion he was a few seconds too late. Six slowly finished her meal, slowly standing up as the dark magic from The Lady began to wrap around her like a shroud. It seemed to accept the girl as it's new owner as it flowed around her strongly. The feeling of power almost overwhelmed the girl as she looked at her hands, she felt absolutely incredible. This intoxicating feeling spread over every inch of her body as she clenched her fists, she felt like she could do anything, never having to fear anything with such a strong gift.

She turned to share her enthusiasm with her friends, only to see The Architect struggling to breath in the harsh darkness that swirled around him. RK was clinging to the man in fear as the he weakly tried to stand. Six quickly tried to reign in her newfound powers, drawing it back inside of her. The man gasped loudly as he began to breath normally once more, gripping his chest tightly as the suffocating feeling vanished. RK slowly looked up as their guardian began to shakily stand on his two feet. Six was quick to rush over and apologize. "I'm sorry guys! I was just so overwhelmed after I took those powers in, I didn't mean to hurt you." She said as The Architect slowly raised his hand to stop her apology, he slowly got his breathing back to normal despite how much his lungs ached.

"It's fine Six, we're okay for the most part...just wished you didn't have to... you know." He trailed off slowly, looking at the corpse of the once fearsome governess of The Maw. He was hoping that he would be the one to kill her to avoid making the children stain their hands with blood. That hope was dashed the moment Six's hunger struck her, he was just thankful that she had enough sense to go for The Lady instead of them. Well, as long as she was dead he could consider this a job well done despite the horrible pain they endured. The girl briefly looked down in slight shame, she hardly regretted consuming the woman when the power it gave her made her feel so good. "We should get topside and secure a boat before it's too late." He said as he limped over to the exit while keeping a hand over his right eye, his body slowly recovering from the painful feeling of almost losing his soul. The children noticed that he was covered in dust and chunks of broken wood from his forced entry into the room. They followed him into the elevator with concerned eyes.

-

The elevator slowly arrived at the upper dinning hall, letting its occupants slowly walk out. The Architect used the wall as support as he walked, groaning in annoyance when he saw the guests that sat in the room feasting. He slowly took out his hammer with some difficulty, ready to break at least one of their mouths before he noticed Six calmly walk down the hall without an ounce of fear. RK and The Architect were about to shout at her before they saw her casually suck the life out of the first guest who looked at her. She looked over at them with a carefree smile before she continued walking, killing any guest that looked her way. RK and The Architect slowly followed her, sidestepping the corpses with uncomfortable looks on their faces. The Architect never really had a plan for the leftover guests, Six seemed content with killing each and everyone of them. 

He didn't know how to feel about letting a child freely butcher dozens of people, even if said people were gluttonous monsters. Guess they were getting what they deserved, being consumed by the very prey they so eagerly chased. Guilt started to push through the pain in his body, once again reminding him of his role in creating this hellish place, how no one would have died if he just allowed himself to be killed. He clenched his fists as a large door with an eye emblem slowly opened, letting sunlight pour into the vessel. The Architect covered his eyes as he ascended the stairs, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the glare of the sun. They finally reached the outside, greeted by the sounds of crashing waves and squawking seagulls. He frowned as he saw a distant ship getting farther and farther away, probably taking any terrified guests with them.

No vessel would come anywhere near The Maw after hearing how it's owner went ballistic on her customers, so much for hijacking a boat. He turned to give the kids the bad news when he saw their relaxed and happy expressions, calmly enjoying the warmth of the sun with content smiles. He had never seen the two so relaxed before, constantly looking out for danger even with him around to protect them. That voice in the back of his mind was becoming harder to ignore. How differently would their lives have played out if he just allowed himself to die? Would they still be with their friends, sharing laughs and memories instead of silence and suffering? He held a hand over his right eye as it flared with pain, cursing that witch for not just dying properly, for not taking this crushing guilt with her to the grave.

He was ripped from his thoughts when he felt a small hand tug on his pants, making him look down and see RK and Six smiling up at him. The guilt was suffocating as they began to speak. "Thank you for helping us so much... I would have died so many times if it weren't for you... I owe you so much." RK said slowly, each word ripping his conscience apart. He wouldn't have been put in a single life threatening situation if it wasn't for him. Six soon spoke as well. "I had doubts about you when we first met, the thought of an adult actually helping us seemed ridiculous. Then you freed the rest of the kids, gave them a whole floor to be free in, and... stopped me from eating one of my first friends." She said that part lowly with a slight frown, the look disappeared as RK gently grasped her hand, she continued. "Every kid on The Maw owes you their-" He couldn't stand it anymore.

"Please stop." The Architect weakly pleaded, making the children look at him in confusion, their confusion turned to shock and concern when they saw tears streaming down his face. He had a miserable look on his face as he continued. "No one on board this vessel should be thanking me, not a single one of you." He muttered brokenly, clutching his right eye as he shuddered, he felt his heart race inside his chest. The fear of their reaction was completely overtaken by the weight of his sins, he couldn't keep this bottled up without it tearing him apart and driving him absolutely mad. Poor RK looked so confused as he slowly asked. "But you saved us... you helped all of those kids break free-." The man interrupted him with a shout. "I damned all of you!" His words made the children flinch as he broke down.

"I am the reason you all had to suffer! Why those kids below are missing friends! Why any of you are in The Maw to begin with! Because **I** made the damn thing!" He cried out in a voice filled with remorse and sadness, fighting to stay on his feet as he let his repressed guilt flow out like a tidal wave. He couldn't stop himself from letting the words spill forth. "I'm the reason this whole place exists, I made the design for every God damn room! Every security eye and electric gate was designed by me, the cells and hooks used to transport dead children was designed by me!" Six and RK looked at the man with wide eyes as he sobbed. "If I didn't take that stupid bastards deal none of this would have happened! How the hell was I supposed to know any of this would happen!? How many kids I would damn with my selfish choice!?" His voice broke as he collapsed on his knees, gripping his chest tightly as he fought to regain some semblance of control over his emotions.

"I should be dead in that damn forest with my friends. I should be dead with all these monstrous adults on this wicked place. I deserve it just as much as that heartless governess! I don't deserve to live after putting so many children through such fear and suffering." He whispered weakly as he stared at the floor, he couldn't bring himself to meet their gaze now. He felt as light as a feather after getting all of that off his chest, even if this would end with Six sucking his soul out for his heinous crimes. The thought of their furious glares and eyes of disgusts made his heart clench painfully, despite everything that told him how much of a terrible idea it was, he grew attached to these children. He cared deeply for their happiness, it's why he was so adamant about getting them out of The Maw. It's why he never hesitated to comfort them when their fears took root, because he couldn't just stand there and do nothing, not again.

It's why he was so terrified now, more scared then he's ever been before in his life. His days alone in the forest seemed trivial compared to this very moment. Despite his firm acceptance of his fate to die by the rightfully enraged children before him, he didn't want to die. He didn't want to leave these children alone despite having absolutely no right to be involved in their lives. His selfish desire to live still lingered even when his life should be ended. He deserved this fate, to be killed by the children he's freed. A final shackle to break before they could claim to be truly free. He waited for the agony that would come from getting his soul ripped from his body as little RK called him a monster. He braced himself for the pain he was due for all the trouble he has caused.

All he got was silence before he felt two small hands gently grasp his own, making him flinch slightly before his eyes widened. Small, comforting circles were being rubbed in the back of his hand as he heard RK speak slowly. "If what you said is true, then I think that makes you a better person then we originally thought." The Architect snapped his head up to look at the boy in disbelief, there wasn't a shred of anger in his eyes. "How could you say that...?" He asked, failing to comprehend what he just heard. The boy softly smiled in response. "You could have done things so differently, you could have just left on a boat with the guests and forgotten all about this place. You didn't though." He felt another pair of small hands rub his other hand as Six walked over and began to speak. "You felt guilty when countless adults never even blinked when they witnessed our suffering, barely batting an eye as we were chopped up and killed to be eaten. Leaving would have been easier than springing us out and killing our tormentors." She spoke with a similar smile, a rare sight on the girl.

They had both been shocked and appalled as they heard their savior reveal the origins of his title. Six had been prepared to use her newfound powers to end the man then and there. RK himself was desperately hoping that this was an elaborate joke. He couldn't readily believed that the kind and understanding man had truly created such a terrible place out of his own free will, it just didn't match the behavior of the man they traveled with. It all made sense though, the scornful looks he would give the walls, his guilty look as children would laugh and play in his presence. It explained why he was so eager to flee from his worst creation, nothing was pleasant about the place unless you were a heartless monster. The only thing stopping the two children from reacting to this revelation was The Architect's own actions.

Never, in all their time on Earth, have they seen an adult cry in such a way. Sure some of them cried in pain or joy whenever they were doing something heinous. They've never cried tears of pure grief while willingly offering up their lives. Never have they seen such an extreme expression of guilt and regret form on an adults face.

His cries reminded them of a child's, angry and frustrated with all the horrible things they've had to do just to survive and get by.

Despite his hand in creating The Maw, he still chose to help them even with the guilt weighing on his mind the whole time. He was even willing to die to appease them. The same man who helped and comforted them without a second of hesitation chose to leave his life in their hands. The same man who freed children he didn't need to and gave them a room to play in. The same man who gladly embarked on a near suicidal quest to rid The Maw of monsters and lead them out of this nightmare. The same man who hugged Six and assured her everything was fine after she ripped a chunk out of his hand in a hungered frenzy. How could they not follow his example when presented with the opportunity? It was all he ever did in their presence. 

"You decided to save us and give us a chance at a future, a real future filled with happiness and joy where we wouldn't have to worry about monsters and death for a long time." Six continued happily, never letting go of his hand as she spoke. "Even if you did create this place, you decided to save us while making The Maw safe for us, you cared about our happiness and comfort above all else. That's more then any other adult has done for us, we wouldn't just throw you away like that." RK added as his grip on the man's hand slowly tightened. The Architect slowly shook his head in disbelief, he couldn't believe any of this. How could they just overlook everything he's done so easily? He was responsible for so much suffering, so much death. It made him sick to think about it. He was better off leaving them then making them share the same roof with a monster like him.

"I don't deserve this..." He protested weakly, all this did was make the children release his hands in favor of hugging his chest, making his breath hitch as Six spoke again. "Maybe you don't, but most kids don't deserve to have such terrible things happen to them. You are the only adult who seems to realize that so I think it's only fair that we think the same way as you do." RK nodded in agreement against his chest as he added his own thoughts. "You are the first adult we've ever had care about us in such a way... we don't want to lose you... I don't want to lose you. So...please don't go." The boy softly pleaded, making the man's eyes go wide as he looked down at them. He was rendered speechless by their words and actions. They...they were really willing to accept him despite all of the terrible things they were forced to suffer by his hands.

Tears threatened to leave his eyes once more as he looked down at the children who didn't move an inch, happily embracing him as much as their tiny bodies would allow. He shakily returned their embrace as he felt relief and joy fill him to the core. He wasn't going to die today, he was going to be allowed to stay as these wonderful children's caring guardian despite all of his atrocities. The very thought made a hoarse, delighted laugh escape him as he held them close to him. "Thank you...thank you so much, my sweet children. If you really want me to stay then I won't leave, not in a million years. I'll stay right here with you all for as long as you like." He shakily promised as he tenderly rubbed the top of their heads. His warm words made Six and RK smile happily, bringing them immense joy when they heard the conviction in his words.

They stayed like that for awhile, basking in each others warmth as the sun hung overhead, bathing them in warm, orange light. The Architect slowly broke their embrace with a warm smile, relief and joy clear as day in his eyes as Six and RK beamed up at him. The man wiped his misty eyes clean before he spoke." Well, what I was planning on saying before that...episode of mine was that we won't be leaving this place by boat." He said seriously, making the two kids frown as RK asked. "How do we leave now then?" The man grinned at the boy before he answered. "Simple my dear boy, we use The Maw as our new cruise liner." The answer made both kids look at him in shock as he elaborated. "The Maw was made with the intention of being a culinary resort for guests, however they needed a small semblance of mobility if they wished to avoid hurricanes and tidal waves. This vessel is fitted with powerful engines and propellers that keep it moving. We won't be gliding through the sea but we'll at least be moving." He explained.

RK and Six shared a look of amazement and shock, so they were going to use their own prison as a one way boat to freedom. Something was certainly poetic about that. " What would you need to do to get us moving?" Six asked as the man started to walk back into The Maw. He answered quickly. "Need to head to whatever constitutes as a Bridge here, I should be able to get us going from there." He said as the door closed behind them. RK couldn't hide his excitement as he asked. "So that means we can go anywhere in The Maw? Since you're the new owner and all." His excitement made The Architect laugh a bit as he responded.

"Owner is quite a stretch but it doesn't sound too shabby, your free to go anywhere that we can confirm is safe. We still have major leech infestations in some areas that threaten your safety." He spoke sternly, making the boy frown and look down as Six rolled her eyes at her friends antics. The man quickly spoke again. "Everything else will be available once I deal with the infestations, so be patient buddy, you'll get to explore to your hearts content." He assured him with a small wink, making the boy smile widely as they descended the stairs. He might have to burn those creatures out, creating a safe way of doing so would take time. Just as it would take time to clear the place of all the dead adults, he wasn't looking forward to that. Oh well, he was looking forward to putting his time and effort into making The Maw safe and habitable for the children. It would take a great deal of work and time but he was fine with that. He would finish his work in time.

Idle hands were the Devils workshop after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That marks the end of the first game! I've been having a blast making this so far. I'm probably going to take some time to relax and figure out how the story should progress towards the second game. I may or may not make a small separate story that would show the events that happen in The Maw as The Architect and the liberated children make their way to the main land. Just showing how they go about their lives for fun. I'm a bit undecided so I'd be happy to hear any and all thoughts on the matter! Thank you all for reading and enjoying my story thus far, your comments have really inspired me to keep this going. Have a wonderful day!


	7. Landfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Months have passed the passengers of The Maw by as they steadily made their way to the mainland, filled with joy and relaxation for the weary group. Peace can't last long in a world teeming with nightmares, The Architect knew this well when resources began to dwindle. So he prepares his tools and creations to brave the horrors of the Pale City while ensuring the safety of his children.

The Architect felt like he was trudging through thick mud as he walked around the halls made of shifting flesh and eyes, the heat making his body sweat as his wide eyes took in his surroundings. Each eye tracked his every movement as he walked, the desire to pluck them was mounting with each one he passed. Static ripped through his mind and played havoc with his senses as he gripped his head in agony, trying to focus on walking forward despite how sluggish he felt. A sharp pain in his leg made him stop, he slapped a hand over his mouth in an attempt to mute his scream of agony as he slowly looked down. The jaws of a bear trap greeted his eyes, the steel soon turning crimson as he bled over the trap. The static ripped through his mind once again with a vengeful fury as he tried to pry the jaws off his bleeding ankle. The walls around him began to close in with the eyes that hung off them gleefully taking in his pained expression.

The static was the only thing he can hear as he cupped his hands over his ears tightly, his body shuddering in delirious pain as the walls lurched forward to crush him.

The Architect was jolted awake with a shout, nearly falling off his bed as he ran a hand over his face. His cold sweat made him shift uncomfortably before he slowly rose out of his bed, slowly donning his usual black vest and white undershirt before putting on his comfortable light-brown slacks. He slipped his socks on before putting his dress shoes on, walking into the bathroom to quickly splash some water on his face. He hardly needed it to wake up, the nightmare made sure he was wide awake now. He glanced at the clock on the wall with a grimace, it was almost four in the morning. He would never hear the end of it if Eve caught him awake at this hour, so much for having a good sleep schedule. He marched out of his room and began making his usual rounds, checking for any problems and damages that might have cropped up while he slept.

The Maw was a mostly self-sufficient vessel, his tinkering and modifications had made it so after his first few weeks of examination. The Nomes no longer had to slave away below to keep the engines going as a conveyor belt fed coal to the furnace, leaving them free to roam and interact with the children at their leisure. Their current cruising speed ensured that any unforeseen obstacles would be detected with enough time to ensure a course correction. Their only real problem was the slowly dwindling supplies, food, water, and coal were slowly but surely being depleted despite his efforts to ration. It wasn't too much trouble to feed children who were ten times smaller than him, proper portions left them full and satisfied while he was allowed to eat comfortably without going hungry after meals.

The problem was still there however, they couldn't just stay adrift forever. As much as he feared to admit it, the most logical solution was to go to the mainland and either establish a permanent home on land or salvage what they can before going back out to sea. Both choices put him back under the gaze of that god awful Signal Tower, something he desperately wished he could avoid. The second option banked on them obtaining enough supplies to find another piece of land that hopefully didn't have an eldritch abomination present, he knew how unlikely it was due to the sheer distance they would have to cross before they hit anything worthwhile. That left only one option available and he greatly dreaded what that meant. The Signal Tower would have to be rendered silent, he knew it's sinister gaze would lock on him and his children the moment they step foot in that city.

He absolutely refused to allow it to stand, it would need to be destroyed before he could even hope of approaching the city with them.

He slowly opened the door to the nursery, examining the sleeping children blissfully unaware of his inner turmoil. He would greatly prefer to keep it that way. He smiled softly as he watched on for a moment longer, taking in the sight of their relaxed and content faces before slowly closing the door. The months that followed had been wonderful for him, especially after he shared his origins with the rest of the children. He had assembled them all in his room soon after clearing The Maw of corpses, speaking slowly with a heavy heart as he revealed how this wretched place was built. Each word that left his mouth made his guilt flare, especially when he saw the shocked look on their faces. Some of them even looked at him the same way they used to look at the Janitor.

 **That** had hurt him deeply, even if he knew he deserved it.

The Architect had shakily added that he understood if they wanted nothing to do with him, he was more than prepared to free up a leech infested portion of The Maw for them to reside in if they didn't want to be near him. He already had a good spot in mind and was ready to clear it up immediately. What he wasn't ready for was to suddenly find himself immobile when the kids had rushed forward to cling to his legs, he originally thought that they were trying to trip him so they could wail on him like they did The Janitor. That thought soon left when his ears registered the sounds of crying and muffled pleas through his slacks.

"Please don't leave Mr. Architect!"

"You don't have to go!"

"I don't want to be alone again!"

It took a great deal of willpower to keep himself from crying as he heard countless pleas like that, even the children that regarded him with frightful looks seemed reluctant to let him leave. Little Eve herself was bawling her eyes out as she begged him to stay, assuring him that they didn't care about his hand in creating The Maw when he was the sole reason they were free. Some of the children didn't share that line of thinking but didn't want their savior to just leave either. They were willing to let him stay and continue to care for them despite the horrors he subjected them to. He remembered kneeling and embracing the sobbing children while trying to keep his own tears in line, expressing his gratitude in choked up words. It took some time to regain the trust of some of the children, he happily gave them space to process what they've learned. He was grateful that he was still allowed to be apart of their lives. 

He made his way to the elevator leading to the kitchen, hoping to eat something while planning for their arrival. He entered the kitchen with a slight yawn before pausing, taking in the scene that greeted him with a slightly annoyed look.

Six was on top of RK's shoulders, trying to reach the lid of a cookie jar while on her tiptoes. RK was trying his best to remain still and firm as she slowly unscrewed the lid. They hardly noticed him as he slowly walked over, nearly jumping out of their skin as he cleared his throat loudly. "I thought we were done with late night raids on the pantry." He said as he crossed his arms, making the children look up at him with slightly surprised and sheepish looks before Six responded. " We were, but we remembered how great those cookies you made tasted, so we decided to come up for some." Six said casually, still unscrewing the lid despite his raised brow.

"How flattering, I guess that makes it okay to eat sweets at this time?"

"It must be if you're in here too." For such a silent girl, she had quite the sharp tongue.

The Architect stared at the girl for a moment before sighing, opening the lid and handing both of the smug looking runts a cookie before taking a few for himself. Can't really punish them without being hypocritical, might as well have a few himself. "You're lucky I was coming in here for the same thing." He said as he began to eat, looking over at the two kids stuffing their faces with the baked treats. He smiled a bit before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, taking a long sip as RK asked through a mouthful of chocolate. "How come you're awake at this time?" The Architect fought the urge to chide the boy for speaking with his mouthful. "Had a bad dream, couldn't go back to sleep so I started doing my usual rounds while thinking about somethings." He answered as he sat down on a nearby stool, resting his head on the table that the kids were standing on.

RK and Six walked over to their exhausted looking guardian, frowning slightly when they noticed the bags under his eyes. They took a moment to sit down on his splayed out arms before RK slowly spoke up. "Do you... want to talk about it?" He asked, making the mans eyes flick over to him for a moment before he sighed. "I appreciate it but... no, not really. I'd rather think about how we're going to get to land without doing some real damage to The Maw." It has been a bit of a dilemma; The Maw wasn't exactly fitted for docking at just any strip of land. He would seriously damage the vessel if he tried to get too close to land, it was just too large. He would have to construct some rowboats or something to travel to land from The Maw, enough to ferry the children and Nomes.

"Are we really that close to land already?" Six asked, a bit shocked that they were already nearing the mainland. The trip just felt like it would drag on to her, hard to believe they were about to set foot on something other than metal. The man answered with a small nod, lifting his head off the table. "We should arrive in a week, I'll have enough time to construct some rowboats for travel, along with something sturdier to haul some heavy salvage off The Maw." No point in letting all of this metal go to waste when it could be used elsewhere, of course that meant more work on his part but that was a bit of a norm for him at this point. The children absolutely disliked this mindset but could do little to stop him besides voicing their concerns. He still felt a bit guilty despite their acceptance and understanding, a little extra work helped ease it somewhat.

"So we'll finally get to see trees and stuff like that?" RK asked, it was a bit weird to be excited about something like trees but the boy has known nothing but metal and water for years now. A change of scenery would excite anyone. "Yes, you'll get to see trees taller than me with nice green leaves." The Architect said with a small smile, raising a finger to ruffle the boys hair much to his chagrin. He did little to stop it, letting out a loud yawn that was quickly followed by Six. "I believe you too have had your fill, let's get you to bed." He spoke softly as he picked them up gingerly, they hardly resisted. snuggling into his arms as he began to carry them back down to the nursery. He quietly entered the room, attempting to set them down on their respective beds revealed a problem.

They were clinging to his body, already fast asleep. Trying to dislodge them now would just disturb them. He sighed lowly and began to walk over to the large bed he had in the room just for this specific reason. The number of times these two have clung to him like this were numerous, the only other one that did this was Eve. He knew that he should probably just set them down and leave, he had a great deal of work ahead of him that he could tackle early. A single look down at their peaceful faces made him cave, his work could wait for a while longer. He laid down on the bed, shifting the children into a comfortable position on his chest before pulling the covers over himself. He'd just rest his eyes for a bit until their grip was loose enough for him to leave. He closed his eyes slowly. This may be one of the last nights they could do this, why not let them have it?

Sleep claimed him in seconds.

-

The week passed by with the sounds of saws and blowtorches coming from The Architect's foundry, an addition made to The Maw shortly after it's liberation. His rowboats were constructed without issue, it certainly helped to have an all-knowing eye that delighted in building things as fast as possible. He admired his aluminum rowboats, proud with how well they turned out. They would perfectly fit the children while staying afloat without much trouble, he wasn't expecting the waters to be too difficult anyways, they weren't far enough from land to warrant such troubles. His barge came out nicely too, small enough to be made in a reasonable time and just big enough to haul cargo off The Maw. Several tests in the open water confirmed their stability. He enlisted the help of some eager children to help him bring some of the materials onboard the barge, they more or less begged him to let them help really.

The barge was ready the moment The Maw got as close as it could to land, any closer and they'd be grinding against the seafloor. He gathered the children and explained how they would be departing once he got the boats set up at one of the docking stations, telling them to follow the larger boat closely all the way to shore. He split the 36 children up to their respective boats with their assigned captains, said captains being RK, Six, and Eve. The poor boy was not thrilled about having to manage a boat of all things, his excitement of getting to finally see solid land made him tough through it. He set the last of their provisions down in the barge before climbing on. The children were excitingly talking about their upcoming voyage, comparing themselves to pirates with a fit of giggles and smiles.

They could happily do so as long as they followed his barge.

"Remember to follow close behind me! I don't want any of you to get lost now, wouldn't make for a good sea shanty!" He shouted as they began their voyage to land, the shore wasn't that far so maybe voyage was a bit misleading. The kids hardly seemed to care as they began to row with gusto, keeping a comfortable pace behind him. He would have crafted propellers for them if he had the time so they wouldn't have to row. Unfortunately, time wasn't on his side for this project so he took what he could, the children seemed to enjoy this anyway. With limiting options of games and toys to play with, the prospect of rowing a boat all the way to shore like a bunch of pirates leaving a galleon in search for treasure seemed pretty enticing to them. 

His barge soon struck the shore, with his merry band of little buccaneers following soon after. He disembarked and slowly walked forward, raising a hand to stop the children from leaving their boats as he carefully surveyed their new surroundings. A small clearing was in front of him, surrounded by tall trees that he recognized all too well. His eyes scanned the ground for any signs of traps, clearing like this made a perfect resting place for a bear trap. He cautiously walked forward, glancing up occasionally at the forest as he slowly examined the clearing.

No man with a bag over his head ever emerged with a shotgun at the ready, no signs of footsteps or snares by the tree line. The Hunter was either dead or neglected to come out this far, he recognized the familiar sense of stillness that this forest harbored. No amount of time would make him forget.

He turned and looked at his group of children who were now silent, regarding their surroundings carefully the moment they saw their guardian sharpen his gaze at the surrounding forest. Good, caution never hurt anyone, especially in this place. He walked over to his barge and dropped the loading ramp, regarding the children as he began to carry his building materials out. "We'll be building our new home here, we can retreat to The Maw quickly if anything happens out here. Do **not** leave this clearing, I don't know what lies beyond the forest and I don't want any of you getting hurt or snatched up by something." He sternly ordered, making the children nod quickly. They followed him into the clearing, watching as he walked back and forth from the barge with metal and wooden planks.

He had planned on making a small home, a place where they could sleep and eat until he was absolutely certain the surrounding forest was safe. He wasn't foolish enough to believe that The Hunter simply moved on, he was still in this forest, hunting human and animal alike for sport. He would venture forth once he was sure their surroundings were safe and protected, he owed the bastard for his miserable years of dodging slugs and traps. Six, RK, and Eve approached him as he started digging the foundation for their home. "How can we help?" Eve asked, prompting him to stop for a moment to answer. "Besides bringing whatever I might have left in the barge that you can carry? nothing really." His answer made Six and RK frown. "You're going to be busy with this for a while, even with that freaky eye of yours, there has to be something we can do to help." Six said while crossing her arms, making the man sigh and drum his fingers over the handle of his shovel in thought.

"I have a bag filled with traps and snares roughly your size in the barge to catch small game, if you really want to help then you can set them up in the forest." The three children beamed and almost bolted to get to work before he strictly continued. "I only trust you with this because I know you are capable, you will not venture too far into the forest and will run at the first sign of danger, do I make myself clear?" He asked, prompting them to nod with serious looks, they've never heard The Architect sound this concerned before. "I can't stress how cautious you have to be, this forest is home to a viscous hunter who has many traps. He will kill you if he finds any of you, I plan to deal with him soon but until then you are to be as careful as possible." The children nervously swallowed at the mention of The Hunter. The Architect has mentioned him once or twice in the past with a fierce gaze of anger, telling them stories about how he tracked kids to abduct or kill them.

The Architect noticed their nervous faces and sighed softly, affectionately rubbing their heads as he spoke once more. "I don't mean to scare you, but you must understand the dangers of going too far. Just follow my advice and be careful, you won't find trouble unless you go out looking for it." He said softly, smiling when he saw some of the color return to their faces. "I expect you guys to be back with a big rabbit as your haul, I certainly miss me some tasty rabbit." He gave them a small grin before resuming his work, making the children salute and walk off as RK shouted at him cheekily.

"If we catch one, we won't be sharing with you!"

"For your sake that better have been a joke!"

The children laughed as they grabbed the small traps, soon setting off into the forest with a concerned pair of eyes watching them depart. The Architect willed himself to work faster, the sooner this was done the better. He'd be able to focus all his energy on tracking The Hunter down, he would rest easy once that monster was dead and buried. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've decided to make a small, separate story filled with snippets of The Architect and the children's time on The Maw after the events of the last chapter. It will be called "The Caretakers Chronicles." It'll honestly just mostly be fluff so there's no need to read it to understand anything, you won't be missing any important story elements. I'm just mostly writing it for fun while I work on The Architect. I will begin working on it after I post this chapter. That's all I have to say, have a wonderful day!


	8. Role Reversal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio of kids stumble upon a boy at nightfall, donned in a small trench coat with a paper bag over his head. Their shocked state at seeing another child makes them oblivious to their surroundings. The Architect preps himself to enter the forest with a vengeful mind.

Six, RK, and Eve couldn't stop taking in their new surroundings, craning their heads up slightly to look up at the towering trees around them in wonder. They were so used to the cold and lifeless atmosphere of The Maw, even with The Architect's attempts to make them feel at home in the vessel he could only make the place so vibrant. This forest was different, it constantly hummed with the sound of life and wild animals, the chirping of birds from above made them feel a bit at ease despite knowing the dangers that lurk inside this forest. They had spread the traps out as evenly as possible while venturing as deep as they dared, the words of warning from their guardian echoing in their minds. None of them were eager to meet the fabled Hunter that put the man through such dire straits as a child.

They couldn't really imagine The Architect as a child, at least Six couldn't. It was hard to see him as anything less than stalwart, she had trouble picturing a child like version of him running through these woods with wide, terrified eyes. It would explain his ability to think so critically in stressful situations while devising plans to clear any obstacle before him. She was briefly reminded of the time he let one of the Chefs fall to his death after pretending to chase them, she couldn't forget the look in his eyes. He had enjoyed watching the Chef struggle, leisurely grinding his foot against grasping hands before letting him fall with an indifferent look. That was the only time she saw the innate cruelty that adults were known for flash through his eyes, she shuddered to imagine the things he would have done to them if he was less caring.

If that's how he treated monsters he's never met, how would he react against one he knew so intimately?

She felt her skin crawl at the thought, The Architect would always be a loving father figure to her eyes, nothing would change that. He's given them too many days of happiness on their voyage to the mainland to be considered anything else. She wasn't naïve enough to believe he was incapable of doing terrible things, he was still human after all. Rage and resentment had a way of bringing the worse out of people, especially when confronted with the source of their suffering. Six knew that better than anyone after their battle with The Lady. She was greatly concerned that The Architect would forego any sense of self-preservation to get at the Hunter and pay him back for the deaths of his friends. If the Architect did catch him, she knew that man would not be leaving this world painlessly.

She didn't want to see their guardian do such cruel things, she didn't want to see those cold eyes again.

They had placed the last of the traps as night fell, shrouding them in darkness as they began to walk back to their impromptu camp. RK decided to break the silence that hung over the group. "Do you think we'll be able to explore more once that Hunter is gone?" He asked in a hushed whisper, cautious of being heard by anything else in the now silent forest. Six quickly answered as she continued to lead the group. "Probably, The Architect will probably do a check for traps after dealing with him..." She trailed off, her mind picturing images of their guardian sadistically killing his former tormentor with glee. She quickly shook her head to clear it of such thoughts before she continued. "We should try to stop The Architect from doing something... drastic when he deals with that Hunter." She said seriously, drawing confused looks from RK and Eve.

"Wouldn't it be a good thing if he got rid of the Hunter?" Eve asked curiously, making Six sigh a bit as she began to elaborate. "I'm not saying it's not, I just don't want to see him do something extreme once he catches him." Her words made the others look at her in shock, unable to picture their guardian doing anything cruel for the sake of pleasure. "He wouldn't do anything like that." RK said with a slight frown, making Six stare at him for a moment before she spoke once more. "What was the first thing the other kids did when they realized they were free." She asked slowly, making RK grimace at the memory while Eve's eyes widened as she began to see the logic behind Six's concern. "They beat The Janitor senseless, they would have done worse if they could. What do you think The Architect, an adult with an array of sharp and deadly tools, will do once he gets his hands on the monster that caused him so much pain as a kid?" Six let the question hang in the air.

The results wouldn't be pretty, the only thing The Architect loathed more than the Maw was the Hunter who took his friends away and forced him to live alone. It was only natural that he would want to repay the monster tenfold. They didn't want to see the man they considered to be a father take pleasure in the suffering of another, even if it was a monster. Eve was about to say something before RK interrupted her. "Is that a kid up there?" He asked, pointing up at the trees that towered over them. The two girls swiftly followed his gaze with wide eyes.

Sitting on a tree branch illuminated by the moon behind him was a boy, he was wearing a trench coat and had a paper bag over his head. He has hugging his knees close to his chest before he turned his head to look at the trio, the bag over his head masking whatever expression that lied beneath. They only knew he was shocked to see them when his head shot up slightly. Six and RK slowly approached the tree he was on with wide eyes, this was the first time any of them has seen another child outside The Maw. The boy seemed just as curious, slowly standing up to look at the kids below him in wonder. He looked like he was about to say something when he suddenly shied away from the edge, making them lose sight of him.

RK was about to shout at him to come back when a light suddenly flashed over him and Six, making them shield their eyes with a shout. Their eyes adjusted just in time to see a large hand descend upon them, enveloping them quickly. They screamed and struggled fruitlessly in the Hunters grasp, his slow, muffled breaths being the only thing they can hear as he regarded them through his burlap sack, a single hole where his right eye would be provided his only source of vision. He had a Gadsby cap on his head with a green overcoat and brown trousers as well as brown gloves and work boots. His head shot up to look at the retreating form of Eve, making him grunt in annoyance before slinging his rusty shotgun over his shoulder to free up his hand. He whistled sharply, his call soon being answered by the barks of a rabid dog that bounded past him in pursuit of the fleeing girl. He began to walk back to his cabin with his prize in tow, his mind already thinking of a perfect spot to hang them up once they expired from dehydration or starvation.

Eve felt her heart shoot up to her throat when she heard the rapid approach of the hound, there was no way in hell she'd be able to outrun the murderous hound. She tried her best to see something she could use as cover as she ran as fast as her legs would allow, soon spotting a hollow tree trunk just a few feet ahead of her. She was almost upon it when she felt the dog graze her back with it's paws, making her scream in pain as she dived into the hollow trunk. The dog barked angrily at it's denied catch, scratching at the entrance of the trunk in an attempt to get to her as she touched her back gingerly, wincing when she felt pain lace up her back at her touch. Bringing her hand back in front of her revealed it to be stained in blood, making her frown before the constant shaking of the tree trunk made her lose her footing.

The rabid snarls of the hound grew louder as it chipped away at more dead wood, attempting to squeeze it's muzzle into the trunk to bite down on the cowering girl. Her mind raced to find an out, running once more would just see her clamped in it's drooling maw, the mutt seemed quite determined so she doubted it would tire anytime soon. She had nothing she could use as a weapon to at least blind the growling beast, she was about to try her luck fleeing from her deteriorating cover when a sharp _thwang!_ sounded from outside as something struck the dog. It was sent sprawling with a pained cry, whimpering as she saw a shadow pass over the trunk. The dog's pained whimpering was soon silenced by a loud snapping noise that made her cringe, the forest was silent once more.

The sounds of approaching footsteps made the girl hug her knees to her chest while holding a hand over her mouth, trying her best to stifle her panicked breaths. All the tension left her body when she heard the voice of The Architect. "You can come out, nothings going to hurt you." His calm words made Eve bolt out of the dead tree and hug his leg tightly, shuddering in fleeting adrenaline as the man looked down at her in surprise. His surprise soon turned to concern when he saw the three angry red lines torn across her back. "Christ Eve you're hurt!" He shouted in alarm while taking a knee, quickly taking his trauma kit out of his pack before cleaning the lacerations as carefully and softly as he could. He then disinfected the wounds, making the girl wince at the sharp burn of the alcohol. He was in the process of applying the gauze when she spoke.

"It was the Hunter, he abducted Six and RK before sending that dog after me." Her shaky report made him pause for a moment before he continued his work, speaking in a tone that left no room for argument. "You will go back to the camp and rest, no one is allowed to leave the grounds until I come back, do you understand?" He asked, his gaze was devoid of it's usual warmth. She slowly nodded in response, not trusting her voice at the moment. His features softened by a fraction before he finished, stepping back to allow the girl to move. The camp wasn't terribly far from their current position, he trusted the girl to walk over without any further complications. He approached the dead dog and ripped the crossbow bolt from it's corpse, slotting it back into his small crossbow. He originally intended to use this to hunt or ward off predators until he could craft something sturdier, it would suffice as a weapon against the Hunter for now.

He grabbed the dead hound and dragged it with him as he marched into the forest with a concerned pair of eyes watching him. The bastard was going to pay for endangering his children, he was going to tear him apart after riddling him full of bolts.

That monster wouldn't touch another child again, he'd guarantee it.

-

Mono tried his best to forget the frightened screams of the kids he saw earlier, the kids he may have inadvertently killed. The thought alone made his guilt skyrocket as he remembered his actions. He saw the Hunter before anyone else and what does he do? Cower away like a baby while they're taken away, not shouting a single word of warning. He gripped the paper bag he wore tightly as he walked on, gathering his resolve to forge onward and fix **his** mistake. He knew where the Hunter resided, he knew those two kids would be held there like all the others before them. He owed them for getting them caught by the bloodthirsty man, the least he could do was try and save them. Mono had just walked past a turned off tv when he heard the sounds of footsteps, prompting him to hide behind it. Had the Hunter already left them and resumed his patrol?

He chanced a quick peek, just barely catching the sight of a man walking past while dragging the corpse of a dog, the same dog he saw chase the third kid. Did that mean he killed the dog and the girl? Was he in league with the Hunter? If so why kill the dog? These questions bounced back and forth in his mind as he watched the man disappear into the foliage, he slowly stepped out after a moment of hesitation before quickly sprinting onward. Whoever he was, he was taking the long way to the Hunters cabin, meaning he should get a move on unless he wanted to deal with two murderous adults. He continued to traverse the woods ahead, dodging snares and triggering well hidden bear traps as he made his way to the Hunters cabin. He panted softly as he slowly climbed up a broken wooden bridge, smiling under his paper bag as he saw the cabin ahead.

He approached with little fear, no dog stood guard outside, leaving the Hunter without his precious trackers. Mono slowly climbed the open window on the porch, crinkling his nose in disgust at the sight of the kitchen. Pots and pans were splayed out at random, old and decaying meat sat on dirty plates on the table. He gagged a bit as he swiftly left the room, only stopping when he heard two voices arguing downstairs. He couldn't make out what they were saying through the floorboards so he quickly descended the stairs. He was able to clearly make out what was being said now.

"So you want to sit here and wait?" The aggravated voice of a boy came from the other side of a shoddy wooden door.

"Yes, that Hunter chose to put us in here instead of just killing us, there has to be a reason for that." The calm voice of a girl responded, Mono looked around for anything he could use to break the door, frowning when the blade of the cleaver he was trying to free stayed buried in a wooden box while the handle broke off.

"What if he changes his mind?" Mono wandered into a nearby room and spied an axe imbedded in a wooden table, he prayed that it wouldn't break as he jumped up and tugged on it. He was relieved when he dislodged it without an issue, quickly dragging it to the other room.

"I doubt he will, he wouldn't have left this stupid music box in here otherwise."

Whatever response the boy was about to give was cut off as the axe struck the door, making a small hole that let the startled kids peer outside. Another strike widened the hole as the two kids scrambled away from the door, a final strike destroyed the crumbling wood. Mono slowly walked in after dropping the axe, holding his hands up in a placating manner as he noticed their fearful looks. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you. I came to help." He said softly, making some of the tension leave the duo before the girl slowly spoke. "You're that kid we saw in the trees." She said with slightly narrowed eyes, making Mono nod a bit. The two kids slowly stood up while the girl in the yellow raincoat spoke up again with a bit of hostility.

"A warning would have been nice."

"Six..." The boy said in warning.

Mono certainly deserved that one, but at least he had a name now.

"I'm sorry but I was scared, I also didn't fancy being turned to red mist for opening my mouth." The bag wearing boy said in his defense, making the girl frown a bit while her friend spoke up before anymore words could fly off. "It's fine we're thankful for the help. You can call me RK." He ignored the soft scoff behind him as Mono spoke up with a small nod. "We should leave quickly, I don't know when the Hunter will return but I saw another adult prowling the grounds close by." He was already heading for the stairs, missing the looks of surprise on RK and Six's face. RK opened his mouth to ask something before the sounds of footsteps above made them freeze, Mono cursed under his breath before quickly ascending the stairs, followed closely by the duo. They quickly entered the hall and ran into the dinning room, barely paying the stuffed people sitting at the table a glance as they climbed through a window. They landed in a room with a locked door and an attic with a pull-down ladder.

RK and Six instantly moved, the boy boosting the girl up with practiced ease as she gripped the handle, RK jumped up and grabbed her legs to put more weight on the handle. It was pulled down quickly enough, sending the two kids sprawling as the ladder hit the floor loudly. Mono winced at the noise, quickly climbing up the ladder as he heard the Hunter grunt in confusion in the next room. The other two soon joined him, pushing a heavy suitcase against a dresser before using it to jump over the furniture. The trio spotted the key hanging off a hook next to a bagged up corpse, too far up for any of them to reach. RK noticed the missing crank before looking around the room, spying a small glimpse of light behind a large dresser. He walked over and cupped his hands. "Over here Six, the crank might be in the next room." He called out.

Six looked conflicted about leaving RK alone with Mono before nodding and running over, clearing the large dresser before venturing onward. RK turned to look at Mono who couldn't help but comment. "You guys work really well together." That brought a smile to RK's face as he responded. "We've been through a lot together, stuff like that comes naturally." Mono suppressed the feeling of envy in his chest, must have been nice to have someone to depend on as opposed to wandering a dark forest by yourself. A friend would have made things bearable, it's why he was so happy that he managed to save these two. He was desperately hoping they could be friends after all of this was behind them, he would like that very much.

"This other adult, what did he look like?" RK asked, making Mono frown under his bag before he answered. "All I saw was his black vest and white undershirt, couldn't get a good look at him from my hiding spot." The other boy smiled widely at the news, making Mono raise an unseen brow. That usually wasn't news to smile about, it should instill fear now that they knew two adults were in the area. "He came looking faster than I thought, he's going to go ballistic the next time he sees us." RK laughed nervously to himself, making Mono more confused by the second. He was talking like he was friends with the man, which sounded really unlikely to him. Mono was about to ask about the man when Six returned with the crank, dropping it into the waiting arms of RK before dropping down. They wasted no time in inserting the crank, lifting a retching Mono up with the corpse before he jumped and grasped the hook.

His momentum caused the key to slip off the hook and fall into Six's arms as Mono landed with a huff. They backtracked and opened a low drawer, using it as leverage to jump back over and descend down the ladder. Six unlocked the door and stepped out with the two boys in tow, frowning at the sight of footprints that led to the shed ahead. They slowly entered with caution, spotting a window at the opposite side of the room. They pushed a large box as close as they could to the window, scaling it before jumping through the window. They fell onto a pile of dirty animal pelts, the smell making the three children gag before their ears registered the sound of something being torn in the next room with grunts of exertion. Mono slowly peered into the next room and clenched his fists at the sight of the Hunter, who was ripping up some sort of hide by a table illuminated by a boarded up window.

He slowly creeped outwards, motioning for the other two to stay low as they slowly walked towards an old doggy door at the other side of the room. Mono could hear his frightened heartbeats in his ears as they slowly crossed the room, resting his sweaty hands on the doggy door with Six and RK. They looked at each other for a moment before nodding and pushing forward, slipping through the doggy door with a loud creaking noise that did not go unnoticed if the startled gasp from the Hunter was anything to go by. Mono rolled through the dirty and muddy ground for a second, slowly getting his bearings as the door to the shack was kicked open. RK tugged the boy with him behind the fence just as the man fired, sending wooden shrapnel everywhere as the kids quickly ran behind a nearby box as the Hunter ejected the spent slugs and reloaded.

Another shot destroyed their cover once more, forcing them to relocate once more as the man angrily reloaded his shotgun. Mono glanced up and paled when he noticed they only had one more box to cower behind before they were left with a ditch and an open clearing. He didn't like their odds, not one bit. They swiftly ran as their cover was destroyed with another loud report from the Hunters gun, sliding behind the last box just in time to avoid the next two slugs of buckshot. Six quickly sprinted and fell into the ditch with the two boys hot on her heels, quickly hiding inside as they heard the Hunter approach. He shined his light around, narrowing his eye as he looked for the smallest traces of movement, his ragged breaths kept the kids on edge until he finally began to move forward to continue his search. Mono fought to catch his breath as the adrenaline slowly left his system.

He was used to dodging traps, not shotgun shells!

Six slowly creeped forward, watching the Hunter advance into the clearing before motioning them to follow. RK and Mono reluctantly did so, crouching into the grass. They've never been so thankful to have such small bodies, the grass concealed them perfectly as they slowly walked through the clearing. Only stopping when they startled a crow, making the man zero in on the area with terrifying speed, carefully examining the area before slowly walking forward. They had reached the edge of the clearing and saw a small rabbit hole, the Hunter was periodically shining his light around the area, knowing that they couldn't have gotten too far without making noise or leaving tracks. They slowly creeped out of the grass when he shined his light to the left, they were almost to the hole when a root snagged Mono's foot, making him stumble forward with a gasp.

His heart dropped when the Hunters light illuminated him, staring up at the twin barrels with wide eyes filled with paralyzing fear. Six and RK's shouts to move didn't reach him as he saw his admittedly short life flash before his eyes, all the lonely days and nights of wandering the pale city, never knowing the warmth and companionship of another. The thought made angry tears cloud his eyes, it wasn't fair, it wasn't fair in the slightest. Why did he have to be born in a world where everything was out to kill them, where it was a miracle if children lived long enough to turn twelve? Why did he have to scrounge through garbage and hide in the dark like a rat to get by?

Why did he have to be born in a world where everything hated him!?

The deafening report of a shotgun made him flinch, a cry of pain rang out that certainly wasn't his. He looked up with shocked eyes to find the Hunter clutching his left shoulder in pain, the shaft of a crossbow bolt poking out between his fingers. The man swiftly scrambled back as another bolt missed his head by inches, rushing to reload with his wounded shoulder as a voice filled with pure loathing and contempt shouted from above the rabbit hole.

"Get away from him you son of a bitch!"

Mono looked behind him to see the man from earlier, handheld and compact crossbow in one hand and a stinking dogs corpse in the other. He threw the corpse out into the clearing, making the Hunter stare down at his dead hound in shock as the man loaded another bolt into his weapon while roaring with unrestrained rage and venom.

"I've killed your dogs to avenge those they mauled, and now I'm going to kill YOU for the hell you've put me through!" 


	9. A Crimson Walk Through The Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Architect continues his single-minded pursuit for the Hunter while the kids try to avoid the crossfire, desperately searching for a way to help their bloodthirsty guardian while dodging slugs.

Mono scrambled back as the ground around him erupted from the Hunter's retaliating fire, making the man above him curse as he dived back behind the mound. The Architect payed the frightened boy little heed as he fired back, causing the Hunter to hide behind a tree as the bolt flew past him. Six and RK watched with wide eyes as their guardian sneered before reaching into his belt, pulling a bottle filled with petrol out, they could see its contents swirl around as he lit the alcohol drenched cloth held in the bottle's stopper with a lighter. He chucked it at the Hunter's position with a shout, loading a fresh bolt as he prepared to shoot once more.

The mans eye widened behind his burlap sack as he watched the crude incendiary device sail towards him, quickly sprinting away from his cover as it landed in his previous spot, spreading scorching flames all over the tree. He cried out in pain as another bolt found a new home in his side, making him grit his teeth as he angrily loaded two new shells into his gun as The Architect shouted once more.

"I've got plenty more where that came from! I'll burn this whole fucking forest down if I have to, so save us both some time and die!"

RK and Six winced at the sound of their usually calm and caring father figure cursing so violently, his usually warm voice drenched in malice and animosity as he loaded another bolt. Neither of them can truly blame him, that didn't mean they liked what they were seeing. The Architects right eye was ablaze in fury as a result of his unstable condition, making for a haunting sight as he kept his gaze trained solely on their current pursuer. This wasn't the same man who fed them with a large smile and stayed by their sides when nightmares made them wake up in a cold sweat. This wasn't the same man who asked them about their dreams with all the intrigue in the world while staying up late just to make things easier for them on their former prison. That man wasn't present, he was replaced with a vengeful soul who refused to miss the opportunity to make his tormentor suffer. They both knew he wouldn't stop at just killing the Hunter.

They grabbed a hyperventilating Mono and quickly jumped down the rabbit hole, panting as they quickly tried to distance themselves from the fighting. Getting between that was a surefire way of getting killed. Mono finally managed to catch his breath as he ran with them. "That was the adult you guys are friends with!?" He asked in surprise, never seeing such an aggressive adult before in his life. He was immensely relieved that the bloodthirsty man had no interest with them. Six quickly answered him as they began to crawl out of the rabbit hole, the sounds of gunfire growing distant.

"He looked pissed as hell!"

"No shit bag boy!"

RK couldn't help but crack a smile despite their dire situation, The Architect would have had a fit if he caught the raincoat wearing girl cursing. Though the situation called for it so he doubted he would be that angry, not as angry as he was right now with that Hunter. Mono huffed in frustration but decided to direct it elsewhere by lifting a broken portion of a collapsed bridge up by the rope, letting the two jump across before they held their hand out for him. He hesitated for a moment before taking a running start before jumping, two hands firmly caught his arm and pulled him up with little effort. It was certainly a change of pace for the boy to have other kids looking out for him, even if one of them wasn't exactly the nicest person. He chalked that up to adrenaline and nerves, hard to be a ray of sunshine when you're getting shot at.

-

The Hunter ripped the bolt from his side with a hiss of pain, panting slightly as he hugged the tree he was using as cover. How the hell did this get so out of hand!? He was just supposed to live out his days calmly hunting whatever he wished in these woods, no rules, no worries, and especially no crazy bastards with Molotov's and crossbows trying to kill him! Where did this psycho get off on coming out here and sprouting nonsense while killing his hunting dog?! All he wanted was to be left alone to hunt and stuff his trophies to his heart's content, even if some of his trophies were frail children-

Wait, where did those brats he was hunting run off too!?

He chanced a quick peek at the rabbit hole, grunting in frustration when he saw they weren't there anymore, a stray bolt grazed his head as he swiftly retreated back behind cover. Those kids were in excellent condition, not skinny from malnourishment like some of the others he's found over the years. He refused to just let them leave just cause this crazy freak wouldn't leave him alone. He took a deep and controlled breath, listening out for the sound of the man reaching into his belt like the last time. The slight shuffle of cloth was all he needed, he swiftly brought his shotgun to bear as he peeked from his cover, sending two hot slugs towards the standing man. The man had the sense to scramble for cover the moment he saw him move, the pained cry the Hunter heard assured him that something from his spread hit him.

He would have preferred a kill shot but he would settle for wounded if it meant he could keep chasing those kids.

He loaded two fresh slugs and ran out of the clearing, keeping his weapon trained at the mound the man was using as cover. He's wasted enough time with this annoyance, those kids **needed** to be mounted on his wall. Nothing would stop him from catching those perfect specimens.

Only one child has ever escaped him, he wasn't keen on expanding that number.

-

The Architect hissed in pain, gripping his bleeding side before taking a look at the damage. Most of the spread had missed him, leaving him with a few grazes and three- no four new marble sized holes in his left side. He hoped there wasn't any exit wounds, adrenaline and rage made it a bit hard to tell if the pellets went through him or were currently resting in his flesh. He cleaned and disinfected his wounds as quickly as he could before hastily wrapping up his side, every second he wasted furthered the distance between himself and the Hunter. He ignored his flaring side as he stood up, entering the clearing to follow the tracks his prey had left. He grinned when he saw the small drops of blood that shined in the moons light, idiot should have kept the bolts in.

None of the wounds were life threatening but they would surely sap at his strength, he would just have to cripple him further. It wouldn't take much more to bring that monster down, he couldn't wait. His thoughts were filled with visions of violence and retribution as he followed the twinkling trail of crimson.

-

The kids stopped when they heard the ragged and pained gasps of the Hunter, crouching behind a crate as he stumbled into the clearing ahead. He was looking for them with renewed haste now, shining his light at any small crevice they could be hiding in. A boarded-up building sat at the other side of the clearing with a broken tv hanging out of a window. They would have to jump down from the small cliff before them to continue. Mono was about to jump down when he noticed his companions staring at the Hunter with wide eyes, tears brimming in their eyes. Mono quickly worked to snap them out of their daze.

"Hey! We need to move! I doubt the Hunter managed to put the big guy down that fast, something tells me he's not going to give up so easily either." He assured them. That man was going off anger and fury alone, he highly doubted he would let himself get killed without severely crippling the Hunter. Six and RK slowly nodded in agreement, The Architect never approached something without a plan. If he had the sense to make a Molotov to flush the Hunter out he would be prepared to deal with that rusty shotgun. They didn't have time to worry about his condition, making it out of this clearing alive took priority. The Architect wouldn't be too far behind, so maybe a distraction would be all he would need to end this burlap sack wearing freak. They jumped down and landed quietly.

The three kids grimaced when they caught sight of a crow pecking at some scraps of meat in front of it, they noted the position of multiple boxes that they could use as cover before they steeled themselves. Mono lead on as he broke into a sprint, Six and RK following close behind him as they made a dash for the first box. The bird cawed loudly as it was startled, making the Hunter swivel to look over at the source of the disturbance with enough time to catch the sight of the blue sweater wearing boy sliding behind the box. The man swiftly fired, tearing their cover apart as they sprinted for the next box. Another blast annihilated the box as they began to climb up, the hunter swiftly ejecting his spent shells. He tensed as he heard a sharp _twang!_ sound off behind him, making him shift to the right in time to catch a bolt in his right shoulder. Better his shoulder than his neck

"We're not done yet you bastard!"

The enraged shout made him turn and fire blindly, forcing The Architect into cover. He reloaded while glancing back at the kids who were now entering the broken-down shack through the window. Another bolt whistled by his head as he made a beeline for the building, his shoulder flaring in pain as he smashed through the flimsy boards that barred the entrance. He just barely caught sight of the brats jumping out through the window when he heard footsteps behind him, causing him to turn and fire blindly, hitting nothing but air. The Architect quickly entered, raising the crossbow with a bloodthirsty grin before he fired. The Hunter barely brought his gun up to shield his face from the bolt, causing his weapon to fly out of his hands. He had little time to retrieve it when he felt the man tackle him through the door. He managed to stop himself from completely falling over once they were passed the door, blunting a wild punch with his forearm before tossing his aggressor into the dirty water of the surrounding swamp.

He had turned to retrieve his gun when a sharp pain in his thigh made him shout, looking down to see a screwdriver imbedded in his flesh with his drenched pursuer glaring up at him. The Architect ripped the screwdriver out viscously, spilling blood onto the wooden docks as the Hunter fell on one knee while clutching his bleeding thigh. He looked up just in time to receive a brutal kick to the head, sending him sprawling on his back as The Architect grabbed the discarded shotgun. The Hunter slowly stood up with a growl of pain and anger, something that the other man took great pleasure in stoking as he threw the rusty gun into the murky water. The Hunter took out his hunting knife while The Architect took out a hammer from his belt, prodding at each other with quick swings and slashes.

The children watched them trade blows from the water, wincing whenever they saw the hammer bruise flesh or the knife draw blood. Six and RK quickened their pace, not wanting to see The Architect suffer any further damage as the fight progressed further down the docks. The kids stayed ahead of the fighting men, no longer having to fear getting shot since the Hunter lost his gun. They had just reached the edge of another clearing when they saw a worn-down hut, it's door slightly ajar. Mono was about to suggest checking it out when a shout of pain brought their attention back to the fight, causing RK to gasp while Six held her shaking hands up to her mouth.

The Hunter had punched The Architect in his wounded side, making him gasp and falter slightly. That was all the man needed to drive his knife into his left shoulder, just below the collar bone. The Architect shouted in agony before swinging his hammer at the mans head, the blow was weaker than intended due to the wounded shoulder but it still sent the Hunter back with stars in his vision, making him release the knife. The Architect grasped his shoulder in pain as he panted, glaring murderously at the limping Hunter who was trying to get to the hut.

The Hunter's mind was drastically trying to come up with a plan to put the man down, repeated blows to his stomach and shoulder made him cough up blood onto his sack. He just had to reach the hut and grab his spare gun, he could blast the bastard to hell and be done with this. He would be free to pursue the kids without fearing for his life, something he certainly wasn't used to. He watched with a frenzied eye as the kids ran in to his hut, probably hoping to hide from him. He had just made it to the door when he heard something that made his heart stop.

The brats had just locked him out.

He desperately banged his bruised and bloody fists into the wooden door, making it shake as he tried to break it down. He rammed his shoulder into the door despite how much it hurt, breaking a piece of the door. A rough kick made a hole large enough to fit his arm in. He was about to reach inside when he felt a sharp pain in his back, making him scream and lean against the door as his hands shakily reached for the knife that was plunged into his flesh. He felt a hand grab the back of his head roughly, a cold voice laced in contempt and loathing filled his ears.

"Where are you rushing off to?"

The kids peered out of the hole in the door just in time to see The Architect roughly slam The Hunter's head against the wooden wall three times before ripping the knife out of his back, relishing in the scream the struggling man released before he threw him into the clearing. He walked over to the downed and gasping form of his tormentor, pressing his shoe against the man's throat, smiling as he began to cough and sputter under his burlap sack. He tilted his head for a moment before slowly asking. "You don't remember me at all, do you?"

The Hunter's only visible eye showed only confusion and anger, making his fury grow hot in his chest as he let out a soft laugh devoid of humor. "Really? I thought I surely would have made an impression after killing the first dog you owned, well technically you killed it but my trap kind of forced you to didn't it?" He saw recognition slowly dawn upon the beaten man before it was overtaken with smoldering anger at the sight of the only child to ever escape him. "I guess it was hard to recognize me all grown up, can't blame you there." The Architect gave a small shrug before burying the knife into the Hunter's hand, pinning it to the ground as he screamed in agony.

"What I **can** blame you for was the countless years you spent hunting and taking my friends, making me live alone and kill other kids just to get by." He gave the man a rough kick to the stomach, making him curl up slightly as he gasped for air. "I'm going to enjoy every second of what I'm about to do to you, the only disappointment in it for me as that I only get to kill you once." He said coldly before taking his hammer out and bringing it down on the Hunter's other hand with a sickening crack, making the man let out another scream, sobbing in pain beneath his sack. The Architect sneered in disgust, this monster had the audacity to cry after all the shit he's done?! Bet he never stopped to give those pleading and crying kids a chance, so why should The Architect show such mercy?

The children slowly emerged from the hut just in time to see The Hunter get his knee smashed in by the hammer wielding man, causing them to wince when they heard the bone break as the man screamed bloody murder. Mono fought to keep himself from throwing up when he saw the knife imbedded into the crying man's hand, Six and RK went pale as they watched the man they considered to be a father give the other leg the same treatment. RK couldn't stand to watch this, turning away and covering his ears as Six slowly approached the two adults. She slowly spoke up as the man delivered another viscous kick to the monster's stomach.

"Architect, please stop.."

The Architect hardly heard her, too busy breaking the Hunter's ribs with a strong kick. The shuddering gasps of the monster below him was the only thing he heard as slowly wrenched the bloody screwdriver from his belt. He sat on the twitching man's chest, smiling as he examined the burlap sack closely. Six tried once more to reach her guardian, a familiar and dark feeling churning deep in her chest as she spoke.

"That's enough, he's beaten."

He lined the tool up with the eyehole of the sack, holding the Hunter's head still with his free hand as he spoke. "I always wondered what sort of eye was glaring at us through this stupid thing." He said, grinning when he felt the man tense up below him in fear. He raised the tool and prepared to plunge it into the struggling monster's eye. "How about we find out!?" Six couldn't take it anymore.

"I said STOP!"

Her shout made The Architect freeze, that cold feeling of dark and suffocating magic washed through his bones as he suddenly found it hard to breathe. He was pushed off the man by an unseen force, clutching his throat as he began to cough harshly. Six stared on with wide eyes, watching as black smoke slowly started to leave his body and waft over to her. She quickly cut her abilities off before anymore damage could be done, making The Architect gasp sharply as the black smoke reentered his body. The girl watched as he slowly sat up before coughing roughly into her hand, clutching her chest a bit in pain as her small body shook from her coughing fit. Months of neglect and disuse made that dark power volatile, wracking her body in pain whenever she tried to use it outside of small bursts. The Architect stared at the girl, fighting the urge to outright scream at her as he spoke.

"Why did you stop me, Six?" There was a clear undertone of anger in the man's voice, something she certainly wasn't used to hearing. She answered regardless. "He's suffered enough, you should just kill him and be done with it." His eyes narrowed at her response, he wasn't even close to through with that bastard yet. Mono and RK recovered from the effects of Six's magic, the bag wearing boy was left shaking when his breath returned to him. It felt like he was being drowned, with an ice-cold hand holding his head under as he struggled to breath. He never wanted to experience such a terrifying thing again. "I'll decide when that monster has suffered enough." The Architect spoke lowly, causing the girl to frown deeply.

"How can you say that after what you were about to do?"

"I hardly see the problem, girl."

"You were ready to gouge his eye out right in front of us!"

The Architect soon lost his patience as he shouted back. " He captured you and was planning on turning all of you into an ornament for his wall! All I'm doing is protecting you and avenging the countless kids he's killed!" His angered eyes glared daggers down at the girl, who refused to back down. "You're not doing this for us or even those dead friends of yours! You're doing this for yourself!" The girl screamed back, making the man's eyes widen in disbelief. How the hell could she say that? He had ventured in here for the sole purpose of killing one of the biggest threats in the forest. His death would make this whole area safer for them, so what if the bastard suffered a little? "Take a look at yourself! You're bruised and bleeding all over, why would you have to prolong his suffering if all you have to do is kill him? How will that help us or those he killed?" She asked, making the man open his mouth to quickly retort before he stopped.

She was absolutely right, logically speaking, all he had to do was kill the Hunter to make this place safer and avenge his friends. His current wounded state should have pushed that goal home even more since he would no doubt need to patch himself up after dispatching the man. He looked down at his bleeding shoulder, Jesus, he didn't even stop to wrap that up. Has he really been walking around in such a state without a single care? The clarity in his mind quickly washed the rage away, allowing him to feel just how hurt he really is. His shoulder felt like it was on fire and his side was bleeding from the Hunter's punch, the slightest movement made it feel like shards of ice were stabbing him. He really didn't feel any of this? Adrenaline was a hell of a drug, one he could feel slowly leaving his system.

He sat down and numbly grabbed his trauma kit, making the girl release the breath she wasn't aware she was holding, He disinfected and cleaned the wound as best he could with one hand, wincing as he started slowly wrapping his shoulder. He bit down on the edge of the gauze before ripping it free, it was tight enough to stop the bleeding at least. He'd need help when he got back to the camp. He slowly stood up and spotted the shotgun hanging off the wall in the hut. "Go grab that shotgun for me, please." He said softly as he walked over to the Hunter, RK and Six nodded before rushing into the hut. Mono watched as the man grabbed handful after handful of shells, pocketing them as Six and RK struggled to drag the weapon out. Mono quickly ran over and helped them, handing the gun to The Architects outstretched hand.

The man mumbled a thanks as he unhinged the barrels to load the weapon, only to blink when he saw two shells already loaded. He snapped the barrels back into place and aimed at the Hunter's head. He looked over at the kids who were covering their ears in preparation, none of them looking away from what was about to happen. It would be a mute point to tell them to do so after he brazenly tortured the guy in front of them, he was briefly disgusted with himself before he fired. Blood splattered over the clearing as the slugs hit their target, making the children flinch as he ejected the spent shells. He stared at the corpse for a moment before slinging the shotgun over his good shoulder. He walked over to the kids, idly noting how the bag wearing boy shied away when he kneeled in front of them.

"I'm sorry you guys had to see all of that, I..." Words failed him for a moment, how did he justify torturing a man in front of a group of children? He was supposed to shield them from this type of stuff, not give them front row seats. He was too frustrated and tired to think of anything to say. "Let's just head home." He said, holding his hand out. RK and Six stepped on with some hesitance, not used to seeing the man at such a loss. The Architect raised a brow when he saw how the bag headed boy still hadn't moved, wondering why he wasn't jumping on before he sighed to himself. Right, he just blew someone away with a shotgun, not the best first impression for a child. " I know you're probably scared after what you've seen but I promise you I won't hurt you, I'd be more than happy to take you in, unless you have a home already." Much time has passed, there could be a whole community of kids in this forest for all he knew.

To say Mono was shocked by the offer was an understatement, he was expecting the man to take his friends and just leave. He was prepared to venture back into the pale city alone with a heavy heart. The thought of him being in a community filled with kids nearly made him laugh, no sane child would make a home in these woods with the Hunter around. That's why he was so surprised when the man kept his hand where it was and waited for his answer, the offer was enticing even with the horrible things he just witnessed. Doubt lingered in the lonely boy's mind before he looked into The Architect's eyes, those once menacing eyes were replaced with a warm look that was hardly diminished by his tired look. He felt that he could trust the man, something deep inside him assured him that he wouldn't hurt him despite all he was capable of. Mono slowly stepped onto his outstretched hand.

The small smile he saw appear on The Architect's face made him feel like he made the right choice.

They were hoisted up to his good shoulder, riding on as he began to walk. "What's your name my bag headed friend?" He asked, Mono opened his mouth to answer when RK spoke excitedly. "His name is Mono and he broke us out of the Hunter's cabin!" The Architect hummed softly. "Is that so? I like him already, always nice to meet a fellow prison break enthusiast." This got a soft laugh from Six and RK, the tense atmosphere slowly evaporating as he spoke once more to the embarrassed boy. "Thank you for freeing these two problem children, you can call me The Architect. It's nice to meet you, Mono." The man said softly, pointedly ignoring the shouts of indignation from his other two passengers. Mono felt his heart swell with joy at the man's words, this was probably the first time anyone has said they were pleased to meet him, granted he hasn't met many talkative people but still!

Was it sad that such a thing made him so happy? Tragically so. Did he care? Not in the slightest. He was finally going to have the friends he's longed for all of his life and meet other kids, living, breathing, kids. Why would he waste time feeling bad when he was moments away from getting what he desperately wanted? "It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Architect." He responded happily, freezing in place when he felt a finger gently rub the top of his head. The touch starved boy eagerly leaned into his caring touch, slightly shocking the man and the other two kids. The Architect frowned softly, not even the most trusting children of The Maw had reacted in such a way to his affectionate actions. It took days for them to be so comfortable in his presence, especially after his revelation. The boy must have been alone for a great deal of time if he was this receptive to a person he just witnessed murder another.

"You've been alone for a long time haven't you, Mono?" The boy froze at his words, slowly moving away from his finger, he was probably being too clingy. That would be enough to put anyone off, especially if they were to meet for the first time. He was about to apologize when the man began to soothingly rub his back, speaking once more. "It's okay Mono, you must be very brave to have survived this long by yourself." God knows how long he would have survived without his traps, this boy has been surviving with less. As impressive as that was, there was no way it was healthy to be alone for such a long period of time. "I'm sure you'll like our little camp, it's not much at the moment, but we have plenty of kids who would love to meet you. You won't be alone anymore." The Architect assured him warmly. Mono felt tears slide down his cheeks as he heard the man speak with such confidence. How long has he waited for someone to tell him that? He didn't really remember anymore.

The only thing he knew for certain is that he's never felt so happy before in his life. 


	10. Bonding and Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Architect takes time to recover as Mono get's used to his new surroundings, he eventually finds the time to question the wounded man.

Mono could hardly believe his eyes when they entered the small clearing, hearing the excited and concerned shouts of children as they saw their bleeding guardian. Eve was quick to silence the discord, yelling at the crowding kids to let The Architect pass as she lead him to the large bed reserved for the adult. Mono, Six, and RK were quick to disembark as the man eased himself onto the bed with a grimace. He was about to reach for his trauma kit when Eve quickly slapped his large hand away, dragging the medical bag out with two other kids before opening it up. The Architect slowly spoke as they began fishing out several wraps of gauze and forceps.

"I can deal with my own injuries, you don't need-."

"How were you going to stich that wound together? I doubt you're that flexible." Eve cut him off as she began to remove the wrappings on his shoulder, fighting the urge to grimace as she saw the puncture wound. The man gave a slight huff before pulling both sides of his wound together with his fingers, paling slightly as two kids with a needle and thread sterilized the tool with some of the alcohol in his kit. He laid his head back and looked at the ceiling, scrunching his face in discomfort when he felt the needle go through his skin and out the other side of the wound, soon leaving his skin as the kids pulled the skin together and tied it off with a double knot. They were surprisingly steady as they worked, must have been some of those kids who had dreams of becoming nurses or doctors.

He would have felt happier about giving them experience outside of scraped knees and cuts if he didn't have to feel that stupid needle enter his skin. Six and RK looked on with some amusement as their guardian tried his best not to squirm at the uncomfortable feeling, Eve and a few other kids busied themselves with examining his side. They cleaned the wound as best as they could, clearing any debris and blood off his skin before they looked at the four marble sized holes. She could barely make out the gleaming pellets buried inside, she went to grab the forceps before The Architect spoke up as the kids on his shoulder finished up. "Bring me one of the red shells in my pockets." Eve blinked before slowly dragging a shotgun shell out of his pocket, struggling to hold it up as he stared at it with his right eye aglow.

These were lead pellets, perfect. They would have to be removed. Lead poisoning sounded like a terrible way to go.

The girl dropped the shell before she got a nod from the man, she waved another kid over. They both grabbed the forceps and carefully inserted it into the first hole, they clumsily clamped down on the pellet and shakily brought it out with a sigh of exertion. Any attempts by the man to to help was met with stern glares from the children, making him relent as they continued to remove the bloodstained pellets. They fished out the last one and dropped the tool, panting softly as the man grabbed the pellets and set them aside on the bedside table. Mono was a bit overwhelmed by his surroundings as well as seeing a group of kids patch up his new guardian. He felt a hand tug on his arm as he was lead outside by RK and Six. "We should let him rest, we'll show you around to meet the other kids." RK said, making Mono's heart skip a beat with a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

The Architect had been able to make a rudimentary home for the children, with a basic room for the children to sleep in along with a small workshop that was inhabited by a group of kids. Mono was introduced to a blonde boy named Seth, an apparent apprentice to the man along with the other children toiling away inside. They looked incredibly happy as they worked, destroying any assumption the bag wearing boy had that they were being forced to work for The Architect. The other kids they met during their tour were either helping with preparations for dinner or preparing traps and snares for the next day. The kids were relieved to hear that the Hunter was dead, emboldening them to venture deeper for small game. They also had a small tent as an infirmary of sorts, sending any kids that got hurt inside to get treated.

The Architect had drilled the importance of teamwork and self reliance into them, claiming that he wouldn't be around forever to watch over them. Eventually he would die from the dangers of the world or from old age if he was fortunate, he wanted to ensure that they could look after themselves in the event of something happening to him. It was a sad and depressing topic, but none of the kids could refute his logic. The months aboard The Maw gave them ample time to hone the skills their caretaker taught them, treating wounds and cooking meals that could feed them all. He went as far as to simulate a hunt by taking some of the braver children with him to exterminate some leeches, teaching them patience as they tracked the slimy creatures throughout the vessel. This could hardly compare to the woods around them but it gave them something to draw from at the very least.

He was especially proud with how well Seth was progressing, making advanced tools with his guidance. He and the others were able to make improvements to the building, making small escape tunnels in the event of an attack. Mono was awestruck by how perfectly all of these kids seemed to work together, like a well oiled machine. The tour was brought to an end when they showed him the large vessel they came in, The Maw floated ominously just out the coast, he could barely make out the sight of Nome's handing children supplies before they began to row back to land. They still haven't offloaded everything of use off The Maw, The Architect was hoping to tackle this after he dealt with the Hunter. This plan went up in smoke the moment he was bedridden by a bunch of small doctors in training, leaving the task to the children as he recovered.

Mono turned to Six and RK. "How can I help out? Everyone seems really busy and I feel bad about standing here and doing nothing." The two kids looked at each other for a moment before Six answered. "Everything at the camp is taken care of for the most part, we just need help getting all the stuff off The Maw." Six answered, pointing over at one of the rowboats that were offloading the last of its cargo. Mono nodded and ran off to the boat, briefly introducing himself to the confused kids before asking if he could help out. A thumbs up from RK made the kids accept the bag wearing boy with open arms, ferrying him over to The Maw to begin their work. Most of the useful supplies were resting close to the docking ports thanks to the Nome's, making trips quick and efficient.

Mono took the time between rides and staring at the metal framework of The Maw to ask his new friends about The Architect, wondering what type of person he truly was. This is the first time he's ever heard of kids living in harmony with an adult. showing genuine care to each other as they went about their day. He was used to the monstrous forms of adults snatching up screaming children, the sight of a bunch of kids willingly patching up and getting close to an adult was incredibly surreal. The kids regaled him with their tales of hopelessness in The Maw, revealing that it was originally a prison that killed and fed children to gluttonous adults who were then killed by an evil Geisha to expand her lifetime and beauty. Mono was quickly horrified as they described their terrible living conditions, shuddering as he imagined the frightened screams of kids who were dragged away by the long arms of The Janitor.

They perked up a bit when they described the fated day of their freedom, watching the calm but determined march of The Architect as he snapped a struggling RK into his clutches. They were initially terrified of having another merciless adult to contend with. This changed when they saw him return with a restrained Janitor, freeing them from cages and proclaiming that they were free to do as they please. Mono was briefly reminded of the stories he would stumble upon from his ventures into the Pale City, of valiant heroes freeing the oppressed and enacting justice. It was a bit hard to imagine after he witnessed The Architect brutally beat the Hunter within an inch of his life, but the children around him were fondly smiling at the memory. They then told him about how he ventured out with Six and RK to rid the rest of the vessel of the monsters that plagued it, striking down The Lady before forcing the guests to leave.

This was a heavily modified story of the slaughter that befell the guests as well as Six's horrifying way of dispatching The Lady, The Architect had qualms about telling them about all of the bodies he had to toss overboard, this was a far better option. A little white lie wouldn't hurt anybody.

Mono had a lot of things to think about as he helped load the boat, this place seemed very promising to him. The kids were open and friendly once they got used to his presence, they asked him questions about his time on land and why he chose to wear a bag on his head. He nervously claimed that it helped him feel safe and that he was a bit attached to it, making some of the kids nod in understanding. Some of them, like Six, still clung to their original clothes despite The Architects offers to make them new ones, they would only allow him to wash the clothes they were attached to. Mono was a bit surprised by how readily they accepted his reasoning, half expecting one of them to call him weird for holding on to such a silly thing. This surprise gave way to joy when they asked if he wanted to play with them once they were done, something he eagerly agreed to, spurring him to work faster and harder with his new friends.

Friends, the word alone made the boy feel giddy.

They finished their work for the day and returned just in time to join the rest of the children in a game of hide and seek. Another thing The Architect taught them was to enjoy themselves whenever they got the chance, even when they felt scared or uncertain about the future. They should always have something pleasant to look back on when times got tough, so he encouraged them to find some joy throughout the day, no matter how small it might be. Mono honestly couldn't remember the last time he has had so much fun before, having spent days slipping past bloodthirsty adults who eagerly snatched up terrified children in seconds. He laughed along with the other kids as they ran and chased each other around the building and woods, greedily drinking some water as they collapsed in the clearing with wide smiles. He pulled his bag back down and panted as he stared out at the woods around them, feeling safer than he's ever been in years.

He finally had a home and friends to call his own. The thought alone almost made the boy tear up.

-

The Architect frowned as he stared down at his workbench, looking at his wrapped up shoulder before staring back down at the table. He was starting to miss making things, it helped occupy his thoughts and sooth him as he focused on his work. It was pretty hard to hammer in nails or tighten screw with a messed up shoulder, there was only so much he can do around the camp in his condition. All he could do was help bring things from the boats, he couldn't even take command of his barge to speed up the process! He's never felt so frustrated before in his life, he walked out of the room to check on the children.

He entered the sleeping quarters and watched the children snooze away, glancing out the window to see some of them acting as sentries, vigilantly looking out for any wild animals or adults. They had quickly established a routine of switching sentries while ensuring everyone got a good amount of sleep, something he was immensely proud of. He was terrified by the prospect of entering the Pale City at first, the chances of him dying were high in that dreaded city. He had no prior information on the residents outside the single minded viewers, everything else was a mystery to him. He could be as cautious as he wished, all it would take was one good shot or a strike to his head to put him down for good. The thought of leaving the children without anyone to look out for them kept him restlessly tossing and turning in his bed at night. It was then and there that he decided to teach them how to work and rely on each other for survival.

Words could not describe how relieved he was to see them work so efficiently together. It put his heart at ease.

He walked out of the building and sat down in the clearing, enjoying the ambience of the woods as he relaxed. How long has it been since he's done this? His old group had always been enraptured by the woods, pointing excitingly at any critter they stumbled upon while taking in the sights around them. He sighed softly at the memory, how he missed those simpler days. He hoped they were resting easy wherever they were and that they could forgive him for not being able to do more for them. He was brought out of his reminiscing when he heard someone sit down next to him, making him look down to see Mono staring out beyond the woods. He followed his gaze to the softly flashing light of the Signal Tower, its distant form barely visible through the fog that surrounded the Pale City. The Architect slowly spoke.

"That building is incredibly dangerous boy, you would do well to remember that." The boy briefly looked up at the man before he stared at the tower once more. " I don't doubt that but... I feel something pulling at me whenever I look at it, not in the way it does to the viewers...its just different." He replied, making the man look down at him in worry. Anything related to that cursed **thing** has only brought him agony and hardship, the fact that it was actively calling out to the boy made him very uncomfortable. "I plan on reducing that tower to rubble somehow, the very sight of it makes me sick to my stomach, I can feel it trying to warp my mind like those viewers even from here." The damn thing seemed to remember him, he felt the familiar haze of static crackle in the back of his mind whenever he stared at it for too long. The boy looked up at the man glaring hatefully at the Signal Tower. "That would probably be for the best." Mono stated.

They sat in silence for a moment before the boy asked him something. "Why did you save all these kids?" Mono was still having a hard time wrapping his head around it, the concept of a friendly and caring adult was just too alien to him. He had to know what lead the man to do this. He received a long, drawn out sigh as the man answered. "I felt responsible for them, the reason they were suffering so much in the first place was because I accepted a stupid deal with an adult to build something in exchange for my life. I was brought into that revolting tower and given all the tools needed to design The Maw, my time inside changed me into the adult you see now." Mono stared up at the man, his bag hiding his shock as he continued. "I felt guilty once I was assigned to the vessel, tasked with observing the children and keeping everything running. The thought of sitting in some dark room and watching scared children suffer made my blood boil, so I decided to deconstruct the system piece by piece, freeing the children was the first step, ridding the ship of monsters was the second and hardest step."

The boy listened intently as the man described the perils he and the children faced in their conquest to overtake The Maw. "I had to disable most of the security functions onboard while making my way up, killing those disgusting Chefs before taking on the vile governess. After nearly getting my soul sucked out, we made the rest of the guests flee before taking over. Not once throughout that whole ordeal did my guilt leave me, constantly reminding me of my role in creating the hellish place. Even after being forgiven and accepted by these kids I still can't shake off my guilt." The man explained sadly before his eyes narrowed with righteous fury at the tower in the distance, the crackling in his mind fading momentarily as his next words left with seething anger. "I blame every terrible misfortune on that stupid tower, I won't stop till I see it toppled."

Mono was briefly reminded of how he beat the Hunter in those woods with the same furious eyes, he looked a bit more controlled this time however, either from his injuries or the distance of the tower. He decided to change the topic. "You sound like one of those heroes I read about while creeping through the city." The boy said with a soft smile, making the man huff in amusement before he looked down at Mono.

"Those heroes usually don't get so beat up, kid."

"I think that makes you a bit cooler than them, shows how tough you are!"

"Really? I'll invest in a big green cape and get a big "A" sewed into my next outfit."

The boy giggled at the thought, the sound muffled by the paper bag he wore. The Architect smiled a bit before tilting his head. "Interesting choice of headwear Mono, got a reason for it?" He asked, making the boy stiffen a bit before he slowly answered. " It helps me feel safe, the monsters seem scarier whenever I don't have it on, more viscous..." His words made the man frown, never before hearing of such a case of increased aggression before. He's never experienced anything like that before in his time in the woods, everyone was fair game to the Hunter. He could see the unease and fear rolling off the boy in waves, he genuinely believed that his mask helped him against the horrors the world had to offer. He may have been right, but that was no reason for him to keep it on in such a safe place, no danger lurked here. The boy may have been ashamed of his looks, something that tugged on his heartstrings fiercely. How much abuse has this boy endured to make him believe hiding his face was an acceptable course of action?

Six may have been hesitant to part with her precious raincoat, but even she showed her face around The Maw during those calm months. The Architect regarded the boy with a calm smile. "Do you feel threatened here, Mono?" He asked casually, making the boy jump and swiftly shake his head. "N-Not at all! I've honestly never been happier before in my life!" Mono quickly assured, making the man's smile widened before he spoke again. "Then why don't you remove your mask? Nothing is going to hurt you here." He gently assured. Mono fidgeted in place, anxiously grasping the edge of his mask. When was the last time he even took it off? He wore it everywhere, even when he slept! The thought of taking it off for anything other than food and water seemed pointless to him. This masked stopped adults from hating him more than they already do, he didn't want to make The Architect hate him like the rest of the world. He didn't even want to imagine the consequences of removing his paper bag.

Mono was snapped out of his fearful thoughts when he felt a finger gently rub the top of his head. "You don't have to if you don't want to, I just want you to feel comfortable here at the end of the day." The man said with a kind smile as the boy looked up at him. The boy seemed to think it over for a moment before he reached for his bag, he hesitated for a second as he lifted it over his head. The Architect was about to speak once more when the boy quickly removed the mask and looked up at him. Hazel met emerald green eyes as they stared at each other for a moment, every second making Mono's heart beat anxiously in his chest as he stared up at the man's unblinking green eyes. He was about to reach for his bag when the The Architect warmly smiled, gently ruffling his hair as he spoke without a hint of anger or malice. "You seem to share the same desperate need of a haircut as the rest of the children, its a miracle you can see out of that bag, kid." He joked, making the boy stare up at him in disbelief.

Y-You don't hate me or anything...?" The boy slowly asked, making the man frown in confusion. Was he supposed to? His face was no different than any other kids, cheeks smeared with small smudges of dirt with a small nose. He felt no differently towards the boy, if anything it made hearing him a bit easier now that he wasn't muffled behind that mask. "Why would I hate you my dear boy? I have no reason to." He answered, making Mono's eyes widen behind his bangs. Every adult that's seen his face went into a hellish rage, chasing after him with intense vigor. To see The Architect stare at him so calmly made him feel incredibly relieved. "It would be ill of me to hate you after inviting you to live with us. I'm sure none of the kids hate you so why should I?" He said while wiping the smudges of dirt off the shaking boy's face, he was surprised when the boy suddenly hugged his side, clutching his clothing tightly as his shoulders shook with barely repressed tears. The man was thankful that he was hugging his uninjured side, that would have certainly sucked if he did.

He gently rubbed the crying boy's back as he let years of festering loneliness and fear leave him, dampening the man's vest as he cooed soft words of assurance down to Mono. "It's okay Mono, no one here is going to hate you anytime soon. I saw how happy the others were when you were all playing together. I'm not going to hate you over something as silly as looks and I doubt the others will either." he said as he cradled the boy with his good arm. His words made the poor boy bury his head deeper into his new guardians side, clinging tightly to the man as he was overwhelmed by the warmth and positivity he's been craving for so long. He's been waiting desperately for someone to utter similar words ever since he left the Pale City behind, hearing them now filled him with an intense surge of joy and content.

He wasn't going to be left alone again, forced to face the monsters that roamed the world by himself. He wasn't going to be scorned by his friends for something out of his control that he hardly understood. He wasn't going to be killed ruthlessly by the man before him just for existing. He was instead being treated to a warm and loving embrace that was open to him and so many others whenever they needed it, the thought alone nearly made him choke out another sob. He managed to rein in his rampant emotions and begrudgingly lean away from The Architect's embrace, meeting his kind eyes as he spoke. "That's enough tears for today don't you think? Let's see a smile now." He gently suggested, prompting the boy to give him the best smile he could muster in his overjoyed state.

Kid could blind someone with such a smile.

The Architect smiled and gently picked the boy up, holding him close as he began to walk back to camp. "Let's get some rest, today has been incredibly long and I can feel my bones begging for some sleep." The man spoke to the yawning boy, Mono couldn't help but agree with such a sound plan. Crying your heart out had a way of leaving you drained both physically and mentally. The boy snuggled into the man's warm chest as he walked into his room, months of dealing with stubborn and clingy children has taught him how pointless it was to try and dislodge Mono from his person. Some of the brats could bend iron with their grips.

He shut the door behind him with his leg before slowly easing his body into bed, pulling the blanket over himself and the snoozing boy. Sleep quickly claimed him. 


	11. A Night Out On The Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Architect finally recovers enough to venture into the Pale City with Mono, RK, and Six, his gaze firmly locked on the eerie Signal Tower at the heart of the city.

The Architect was never so happy to be able to use his two arms again, granted one felt a bit weird but he wasn't complaining. He had spent a whole day getting reacquainted with his tools and creations, cheerfully making improvements to their home while integrating new traps to keep the wicked away. These would be comprised of hidden crossbows triggered by the slightest touch on a thin wire, pitfall traps, and even a few suspended logs to crush unaware intruders. He was only stopped from making more when the children convinced him that anything else would be overkill, which he begrudgingly accepted. Weeks of being idle made him restless, he wasn't used to spending so much time doing nothing.

He was having so much fun too, oh well.

He focused his energy on finding a valid entry point for their incursion into the Pale City, he'd rather not have to navigate dilapidated buildings that could cave around him at any second. Mono was helpful enough to point out a possible spot that would grant them entry, he was rather confident about the spot despite never venturing there himself. He just had a gut feeling that it would suite their needs. He had also taken to walking around without his paper mask, seeming a bit more confident about his appearance after his talk with The Architect. The sight made the man happy, glad to see the boy comfortable in his own skin while being accepted by those around him. Even Six was slowly warming up to the boy despite their initial meeting, responding to his questions and holding conversations with the friendly boy.

The next day found The Architect dragging a rowboat along as he followed Mono, who was currently marching like a soldier in a parade. Six and RK sat on his shoulder as he followed the boy. He had picked the two for their unwavering bravery and determination in dire situations. He would have left them back at camp if he believed they'd listen, but he knew they wouldn't let him walk into a city teeming with monsters by himself despite his armaments. So he chose to let them come along as eager volunteers, no other child had the courage to go into the fog cloaked city and he couldn't blame them. Eve and Seth were more than happy with maintaining some semblance of order while they were gone, incredibly patient children those two. He made sure they remembered their plans of escape in the case of an emergency along with the location of all of the traps before departing.

They arrived at a small beach just behind the Hunter's shed after a few minutes of walking. "We can row into the city from here." Mono said with confidence, making the man nod as he slowly eased the boat into the water. He let the children hop in before boarding himself, pushing the boat out into open water with a paddle. The stolen shotgun was slung over his shoulder as he slowly rowed towards the fog, keeping his eyes peeled for the slightest hint of movement in the water. He wasn't foolish enough to believe everything in the city would turn a blind eye towards him just because he was an adult, that's why he needed a strong deterrent against hostile behavior.

Nothing really said "Fuck off" quite like a double barrel shotgun with buckshot, a perfect deterrent against anything with a fraction of sense.

They passed multiple submerged TVs as they went deeper into the fog, someone must have had enough sense to realize they weren't safe to watch anymore. The Architect held hope of finding another sane adult, but he wouldn't hold his breath. No one survives through an ordeal meant to warp people like the viewers without having a screw go loose upstairs. They eventually broke through the fog to see the first few buildings of the city, teetering slightly as they bent and contorted with loud groans. He couldn't look at them for too long, seeing such building reduced to a sorry state made him cringe internally. "Whoever built those buildings must be rolling in their grave right now." He muttered to himself, making the kids look at him with a bit of amusement before they felt the boat hit land.

The Architect leaped off the boat and scanned the beach carefully, looking for any signs of danger. He waved the children along once he was certain it was safe, walking towards a door illuminated by an overhead light. He caught sight of a shadowy figure of a child standing by a TV, Mono seemed to notice it too because he walked towards it slowly. The Architect was about to tell him to get back when he touched the figure, gripping his chest a bit as his body darkened and laced with static. He ran over to the boy just as he returned to normal. "Mono! What in the world were you thinking?! You can't just walk up to something like that without saying anything!" The man scolded harshly as he examined the boy for any signs of injury, making the boy flinch for a moment before he responded.

"I'm sorry! He just sounded so... lonely and tired." That made the man pause, regarding the boy carefully as Six and RK watched on with confused faces. "You... heard him talk?" The Architect asked carefully, making the boy nod slowly. The only thing he heard was the sounds of the building groaning and waves washing across the shore, was it just that quiet? "I couldn't really understand what he was saying since it sounded really.... warped but he sounded exhausted so I wanted to give him a hug." Mono claimed, making the man sigh softly before he slowly stood up.

"That's really nice of you Mono but you need to be more careful, this city is dangerous and I can't keep you guys safe if you decide to wander off, do you understand?" He asked softly, making the bag wearing boy nod quickly. The Architect gave him a small smile before he advanced through the door, trying his best to ignore how his head hurt when he saw Mono's body flare with static. They entered the building, idly noting the clothing sticking out of a hanging TV as they progressed. The Architect squeezed through a hole in the wall and found himself standing in a long alleyway, he quickly glanced around before motioning the children to follow. He slowly opened the door to some bar, the sink behind the counter was overflowing with dirty dishes and the scent of nicotine was heavy despite the worn down state of the establishment.

They ventured deeper inside, opening broken doors and finding themselves in a room filled with smashed TVs. The Architect was glad someone seemed to realize the threat they posed, it made him feel a bit better about traversing this silent city. The less functioning TVs the better, he didn't want that mass of flesh to see him until he was at it's doorstep, hopefully with some TNT in hand, He frowned when he saw the small window in the room that led deeper inside, the children would have no trouble squeezing in but he would be unable to follow. Taking them along a different route might sidetrack them further, that was without the possibility of encountering something hostile. God, he hated doing this shit, the universe seemed hellbent on separating them for some reason.

"You kids might have to venture on without me, I'll find another way to get to you." He said, making them look up at him with worry. The thought of being separated from their guardian for even a brief moment made them feel uncomfortable, especially with their current surroundings. They understood why he would want to separate, it would save them time and put them in less danger if The Architect stumbled upon another adult. He was driven by a zealous hatred for the Signal Tower, getting to it as quick as possible was paramount for the man. He didn't want to thrust the kids headlong into danger just because he was rushing through back alleys and halls without a second thought, better to let them advance safely and carefully while he looked for a different route.

"Will you be okay by yourself?" Six asked, her response came in the form of The Architect raising the shotgun slightly. "I should be asking you guys that, I'm the one with a gun." RK put on a reassuring smile as he wrapped an arm around Mono's shoulders, pulling the surprised boy into a one armed hug as he spoke. "Of course we'll be fine! We did pretty well against that Hunter thanks to baggy here, we can handle walking through some old dump." He ignored the shout of indignation from the boy as a result of his nickname, he did little to escape the hug however. Six just gave the man a confident nod, making him nod in return before he spoke. "Please keep an eye on each other, I'll try not to take too long." Six gave him a thumbs up as she spoke.

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on these two idiots while you're gone."

"What?!" Both boys shouted in unison, gaping at the girl as the man laughed.

"Atta girl, I'll leave you to it." 

He quickly walked out of the room, smiling at the bickering banter he heard as he walked through another door. He grunted as he put some force into pushing the door open, finally forcing it open enough for him to squeeze through. He gave the furniture blocking the door a small glance before he ventured onwards with his shotgun raised, listening out for the smallest sound as he slowly walked through the dark hall with his right eye aglow.

-

Mono huffed as he was boosted up through the window, quickly examining the new room as he entered. Six claimed that there should be a way to boost her and RK up from the floor above, how was he supposed to reach it though? He didn't see any stairs, the only thing he could see was a TV wrapped in rope next to a hanging chord, it was stacked on top of another TV near a hole in the floor. He gazed at it for a moment before snapping his fingers, he could use the falling TV as a way to ascend above with the hanging chord! He just had to keep a tight grip, a fall from that height would be very unpleasant.

The bag wearing boy climbed up a nearby TV and jumped at the chord, gripping it tightly as he swung towards the tied up TV. He kicked it with both feet, boosting off of it to hit it again as it moved slightly. A third rough kick made it fall, sending him all the way up to the next floor along with the chord. He swung over to the wooden walkway and crossed over to the other room, finding another TV with rope tied to it as his friends bickered below. He slowly pushed it off the ledge as they spoke.

"I keep telling you I'm not an idiot!"

"Then why are you getting so upset over it?"

"Because you keep insisting that I am!"

"Fine, I'll stop calling you an idiot.

"Really? Well its about time-."

The rest of RK's response was replaced with a frightened scream as they suddenly ascended with the wrapped up TV, trying his best to maintain his balance before they finally stopped. A grinning Six walked past him as he peered over the edge and angrily shouted at the paper bag wearing boy currently laughing up at him. "You couldn't have given me a warning!?" Mono recovered from his fit of laughter and innocently answered. "I thought I did. The bag must have muffled my voice" He said with a carefree shrug, making the girl above laugh as RK stomped after her while grumbling under his breath. Mono walked back into the room with the hanging chord with a smile hidden under his mask, taking a small breath as he saw the gap between him and his two friends.

He took a running start and leaped, grasping their outstretched hands with a grunt as they lifted him up. They crossed a broken wooden support beam and entered a room with an ominously hanging set of clothes in the middle, the only way forward was through a wooden door with a small hole. Mono squeezed through the hole first, grunting as he fell into the next room. He lifted his head just in time to see the TV in the middle of the room turn on, sending sharp and painful static into his brain as he clutched his head tightly. He grit his teeth as he slowly walked towards it, black flakes trailing behind him as he placed his hand on the screen. The pressure in his head eased up as he started tuning into some sort of transmission, furrowing his brow when the sight of a long and crooked hallway appeared on the screen. That wasn't right, a hallway was supposed to be straight wasn't it?

He slowly tuned the transmission until the hallway was straight, his satisfaction gave way to fear as he was suddenly thrusted face fist into the hallway. He looked up and saw a door with an eye symbol carved into it at the other end of the hallway, something was beckoning him forward, encouraging him to open the door despite how **wrong** this place felt. All he could hear was static as he ran forward, the noise turning deafening as he felt himself move slower as if something was holding him back. The static screamed loudly in his mind as he was ripped away from the TV by RK and Six, making him grip his head in agony as the two kids shook the boy softly. Their voices were filled with concern as they tried to get him to answer.

"Mono! Are you okay? We stumbled in just to see you halfway through the TV!" A shocked RK spoke as Mono slowly sat up, wincing at the volume before he slowly answered. "I'm good... just feel like my head is about to pop" The boy groaned before removing his mask, gently rubbing his temple as Six rubbed his back softly. He neglected to tell them about the hall and the siren call the TV used to draw him in, he didn't want to concern his friends more than he already has. He slowly stood up and shook his head before donning his mask once more. "Are you sure you don't want to rest for a second?" Six asked, making him shake his head as he responded. "The Architect could be waiting for us right now, we should keep moving." He climbed through the only window in the room with his friends following him begrudgingly.

They fell into a dumpster, carefully stepping down just to hear a loud crash in the alley ahead, they peered inside carefully just to see The Architect walk through a broken door with a grimace, rubbing his shoulder a bit from his forced exit. RK smiled at the sight before he walked out. "You seem to be just as good at breaking things as you are at making things." He said, making the man look over at them before a grin blossomed over his face. "I wouldn't have to break doors if they weren't so badly made, shoddy work I tell ya." He huffed as he walked over to the kids. They looked at the large building ahead of them with a playground out front, it looked like a school of some kind, a huge one at that. The Architect moved a dumpster out of the way so the kids could crawl through the fence, he opted to climb over the fence to join them.

He approached the front door as the kids played around with seesaw, soon growing bored and moving on to the small soccer field as he tried the door. He frowned when it wouldn't budge, locked then, perfect. He scanned the side of the building for an alternate way of entering, spying a rope of tied blankets hanging out a window. No way he could scale that without pulling everything right out the window, he sighed when he realized what they needed to do. He turned to address the children just in time to see Mono, who was wearing a ball as a hat, roll through a goal as Six and RK giggled at the sight. He raised a brow before speaking. "You kids are going to hate me for this but we'll need to split up again, the front door is locked so you guys will have to climb in through the window and unlock it for me. I'd break it down with the shotgun but I don't want to wake any nasties nearby." He said, making the kids frown in displeasure at the prospect of splitting up again.

The Architect was quick to ease their worries. "If I hear anything or feel like you guys are taking too long I'll just force my way in, your lives are more important than anything else." He said with a smile, glad that some of the tension left their little bodies. They nodded in agreement and began scaling the bedsheets, leaving the man alone in front of the door. He prepped his gun and calmly looked around. He trusted them to be careful, he knew they wouldn't allow themselves to be caught by whatever dangers lurked inside the school. If they did run into some trouble though he wouldn't be far behind, he had a surplus of shells and a very effective gun, both would make quick work of this door and whatever horrors dared to inflict harm on his children.

He rested the shotgun against his shoulders and waited, ready to spring into action at the slightest sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter than my usual chapters but I felt like putting something down with the little time I had today. I hope you guys enjoy, I'd love to hear any and all feedback. Have a wonderful day!


	12. A Concerned Parent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The children navigate the school with caution, growing increasingly uncomfortable with the child like forms darting around at the end of the halls. An ambush by the bullies forces the group to scatter, The Architect reaches the end of his patience and storms into the School.

Mono climbed through the window and landed on the wooden floor with a soft grunt, RK and Six soon joining him as they scanned the hall warily. A small trash can sat at the wall to their left between two benches, blackened along with the wall behind it from an old fire. They walked forward, looking up at the picture of a creepily smiling woman, the portrait had two holes where the eyes should be, making her look much more terrifying. RK looked at the switch near the wall, humming to himself before he jumped up and pulled it down. Mono and Six jumped when the lights turned off, noticing how two beams of light bled through the holes in the portrait. RK turned the lights back on and grinned at his friends, getting two unamused looks in response, one being hidden by a paper bag but he could still feel it nonetheless.

"Okay, maybe I should have said something before I pulled that switch but at least we have an idea of where to go!" RK spoke, making Mono nod and sigh before he looked up at the portrait. "We need to find something we can use to knock it down." The bag wearing boy mused, looking around the room for anything they could use. Everything was either too heavy or unreachable, they would have to search the connecting hallway. Six was already walking down the hall, slowly pushing a cracked open door as the two boys approached. They found themselves in a room filled with toys and stacked beds. The beds didn't exactly look safe and had little evidence of anyone ever using them, a fine layer of dust coated most of the things in the room. Mono picked up a ball in the middle of the room, bouncing it off the floor a few times before nodding to himself. RK and Six grabbed two building blocks and followed the bag headed boy back to the portrait.

They lined up and threw their respective toys, pelting the portrait and making it fall to reveal a hole in the wall leading to another room. Mono jumped in, staring at the chair that sat in the middle of the room with some rope tied around it. The tally marks on the wall confirmed the purpose of the room, making him shudder at the implications. He would hate to be trapped in a room for an unknown amount of time with only his thoughts as company, he had enough years of loneliness and fear, he didn't need anymore. Being secluded with your thoughts was a dangerous thing in this world, he has seen the aftermath of allowing certain thoughts to fester. Some kids would decide to go out on their own terms, too terrified to venture out and continue fighting to survive such a hostile world. He tried his best to wipe the picture of hanging bodies out of his mind, focusing on finding a way out of the room.

Those years had been...taxing in more ways than one, best not to think about it.

Mono looked over at the sound of creaking wood, finding RK and Six standing on a loose floorboard. "We can probably break this with enough weight." Six said, motioning for the bag wearing boy to join them before they started jumping on the board. It eventually broke under the strain, making them land beneath the floorboards where dust and the scent of moldy wood resided. "Good call, Six." Mono praised as he waved the dust away, making her smile under her hood before RK spoke after recovering from his coughing fit. "Yeah, great call. I always wanted a dirty grey sweater." The boy griped while trying to shake the dust off his beloved sweater. A small hand clutched his ear and pulled on it, making him cry out in pain as he gripped the yellow sleeve of Six's raincoat. Mono quietly giggled as the RK quickly apologized to the frowning girl, just another reason why he wore a mask, it protected him from such abuse.

They traveled through the claustrophobic area, ducking under pipes and valves with RK rubbing his sore ear with a pout. They soon found themselves in front of a vent, which was quickly wrenched open by the three children. They fell back into the silent halls of the school, freezing in place when they heard a low, croaking breath from down the hall. It was followed by an exhale that sounded more like a hiss as they creeped forward, climbing over a locker just in time to see the shadow of a person illuminated by the light of the room they were in. Their neck twisted and stretched at unnatural angles, filling the air with the sound of contorting flesh as the head returned to the persons shoulders. The person shut the door and bathed the hallway in darkness, making the three kids release the breaths they were holding.

They only moved forward when they heard the clicking of heels grow distant, moving silently through the doorway with a heightened sense of alert. They entered a well light hall with a toy ball resting in the middle of the floorboards. Mono was about to move forward and grab it when two hands gripped his shoulders, he looked over to find Six and RK quickly shaking their heads. They regarded the slightly elevated floorboard with narrowed eyes, they recognized a trap easily enough. Months of living and watching The Architect work made them a bit more aware of traps and how they functioned. He made sure to educate them, teaching them how to recognize and possibly evade dangerous traps. This sprouted from his fear of The Hunter, not wishing to see a single one of his children caught in the jaws of a bear trap or caught in a net hoisting them above the ground.

Six motioned for them to hug the wall, stepping on the floorboard slowly. A bucket soon swung over the ball, traveling fast enough to crush a child's skull as it swung back and forth slowly. The bucket was stuffed filled with books, hanging off a sturdy piece of rope. Mono gulped nervously, thankful that his friends stopped him from grabbing the toy. "Don't touch any toys in hallways, noted. Thanks for the save guys." He said, making the two kids briefly grin at the bag wearing boy before RK spoke seriously. "This trap was designed to take out kids, or take out something with roughly the same height. We need to be careful." Six and Mono nodded as they continued to traverse the hall, finding the body of a porcelain child resting by a low hanging school light, its head smashed to pieces. A victim of a similar trap it seems.

The snickering laugh behind the fallen lockers before them made them stop, only moving forward when they heard the sound of footsteps retreating ahead. They crawled through a small gap and pressed onward. They barely caught sight of a small figure bolting down the hall to their left, giggling all the while. Mono was about to pursue when he noticed the floorboard ahead of him, prompting him to jump over it along with Six and RK. They peered down the hall to see a porcelain face peeking out behind some lockers, Mono slowly waved, the child responded by blowing a raspberry with an obnoxious laugh. Mono frowned beneath his mask at the rude gesture, quickly remembering a gesture he saw people make on TV sometimes in movies. He lifted his hands up and flipped the bird, sticking his middle fingers out at the bully.

Six and RK looked on in confusion while the bully gasped, emerging from behind the lockers and stomping his feet angrily while mimicking the gesture. Unfortunately, he wasn't paying attention to where he was, triggering a trap and causing a locker to fall. The fake child only had a second to look up and lament his fate before he was crushed, making the children blink in surprise before Mono busted out laughing. "Hahaha! That's what you get you moron! Should have tried being nicer!" He cackled, lifting his mask to wipe some tears from his eyes as Six asked. "What was that weird thing you did with your hands?" The bag wearing boy recovered enough to answer, taking a calming breath. "I have no idea, but people do it in movies all the time! It seems to make the bad guys really mad." He claimed, making Six and RK slowly nod as they climbed up the fallen locker, using it to boost themselves up and out of the hall through a doorway.

They saw a wooden table blocking their path, much too high for them to scale. Mono noted the damaged surface, it looks like something was repeatedly smashed into the table. He looked down at the floorboards with a critical eye, there was no obvious indicator about which one was the trigger to the potential trap. Six and RK watched as he slowly walked forward, staying at the sides to avoid getting hit by the trap once it was sprung. The bag wearing boy instantly halted when he heard the floor creak below him, swiftly ducking just in time for a large overhead light to swing over his head and strike the table. His heart slowly calmed as the hanging light stilled, he gave a thumbs up to his friends, who walked over with visible concern. "Try warning us next time before you offer yourself as bait for a trap, rather not see you get pulverized by something big like that." RK said while Six nodded, making Mono nod while rubbing his neck sheepishly.

It was heartwarming to have people who cared for his wellbeing, he imagined watching a friend trip a potentially lethal trap was pretty unpleasant. He would have to be more mindful of himself, he was too used to taking precarious actions to get by alone. They used the hanging light to scale the desk, coming up on another long hallway lined with lockers and stacks of books. Mono took point as they advanced, passing by a hanging light when the locker to his left suddenly rattled and tipped over. Six and RK jumped back as it fell onto Mono, trapping him inside as multiple bullies emerged from various hiding spots, quickly surrounding the two. One of them lunged at Six as RK kicked one of the fake children away before two more grabbed his flailing arms, dragging him kicking and screaming as they hauled Six along. A female bully went to restrain her legs, receiving a harsh kick to the face as the rest of the bullies laughed at their plight. Mono tried his best to lift the locker off of him, shouting out for his friends as he heard their struggle.

"SIX! RK!" He wailed before pushing the locker up enough for him to squeeze out, rolling out with a huff. He quickly stood up to find the hall barren, making him clench his fists and grit his teeth behind his mask. His friends were abducted by some porcelain freaks and he could do nothing but struggle under some stupid locker! He felt frustration and fear fill him, he couldn't allow some of the only people who genuinely cared about him get hurt because he couldn't evade some dumb locker, he spotted an oblivious bully peering into the next room, a hammer sat close by. It basically sung at the boy to wield it, to vent his mounting anger onto the fake boy before him. He took the hammer and silently approached the bully with narrowed eyes, raising the weapon and bringing it crashing down on the fake child's head. The sound of shattering porcelain made him feel a bit better as he moved past the limp body, maybe smashing a few more in his search would help.

He wanted to pay back their hateful actions in kind.

-

The Architect believed himself to be a patient man, he had to be to deal with so many children on a daily basis. He wouldn't shout or sigh in frustration when a child asked him something, or when they made a mess in their attempts to help him. He would look past the small inconveniences and bouts of irritation to smile, helping them and assuring them that they did nothing wrong in their pursuit to do good. This patience was honed and lengthened by such experiences, the rewards being the happiness and understanding of his children, nothing made him happier than seeing them understand something they previously couldn't grasp. It left him with an impowering feeling of pride.

With this thought in mind, he was quickly becoming anxious.

The children have yet to unlock the door and he couldn't really hear anything inside, the clouds above promised drenching rain. His grip on his weapon tightened, he was probably worrying over nothing. Six and RK were talented kids with a knack for defying the odds, Mono had years of experience surviving by himself. He doubted a stupid school will be their end. The Architect forced himself to relax as he leaned against the door, looking out at the schoolyard with slightly narrowed eyes. It was strange that no one was around, he expected a bit more resistance. The TVs in this area were mostly destroyed, perhaps the viewers simply flocked to wherever they could find one? He hoped they wouldn't stumble upon some hotspot, he only had so many shells and it was a miracle this rusty excuse of a shotgun could still fire. He probably should have improved it before leaving, might have made things easier in the long run-.

A crash from inside the school made him straighten up, pressing an ear up to the door as he listened closely. He could have been imagining things, but he wanted to be sure. The school and surrounding area had been dead silent before now, he hoped he was simply hearing things. A sound from inside could mean that the children were detected by whatever resided inside, the thought brought a frown to his lips. Another crash sounded, distant but still barely audible in the suffocating silence. So he wasn't imagining things, something was happening inside. "Shit..." The Architect muttered before listening in once more, maybe it was caused by the dwellers of the school? He didn't want to believe that his children were potentially in danger, but everything kept pointing to such a conclusion. He waited a few more minutes, hoping to hear the door unlock with his children waiting for him eagerly on the other side.

He received nothing but silence, making him narrow his eyes before he stepped back and aimed at the lock.

The Architect has been incredibly patient, ample time has passed and a forced entry was warranted, subtlety be damned.

-

Mono quickly hid inside the small room filled with folded coats and hangers, slipping behind a stack of books as he panted a bit. The next room was a classroom currently being used by that unnatural Teacher, he could hear her scribbling on the chalkboard while the fake children copied everything into their notebooks. The elevator he stumbled upon earlier was the only way out and God only knew where the key was. He took a deep breath and prepared to walk into the class in search for it when the familiar roar of a shotgun echoed from the front of the school. He heard the Teacher gasp from the other room before she slowly spoke, her voice hoarse and dripping with authority. "Nobody is to leave this room, stay seated and silent until I return." The sound of clicking heels and an opening door made him tilt his head before he heard her walk by.

He got a brief glimpse of a key in her hand before he heard her unlock the elevator, taking it down to investigate the disturbance.

Mono made a mental reminder to thank The Architect later when he saw him, waiting for the elevator to reach it's intended floor before waiting for a minute or two. Hopefully the Teacher will be too far to notice the elevator being called up once more.

-

The Architect kicked the ruined door down with a grunt, quickly looking around before marching forward. The halls were filled with his heavy footfalls as he advanced, scanning his surroundings for the slightest hint of movement. He entered a long hallway, coming face to face with a group of roughhousing children. They froze when they caught sight of the adult, swiftly untangling from each other as he glared down at them with his right eye aglow. The emerald gaze made them shake a bit as he appraised them, tilting his head in confusion. They had the making of normal porcelain dolls yet walked and showed emotion like any other child. He had no interest in these crude imitations, he nudged his head to the left, making them quickly shuffle aside as he walked past.

He had barely crossed the next doorway when he heard the sound of contorting flesh behind him, he swiftly turned and raised his shotgun, resting the twin barrels under the chin of a smiling head with unblinking eyes. The smile became a bit more strained, eyes briefly flashing with fear as the Teacher registered just **what** exactly was digging into her chin. The Architect narrowed his eyes at the woman before he slowly spoke. "Walk to me, slowly. If you retract your freaky neck in the slightest it will be returning to your body without a head." He warned, resting his finger over the trigger. He heard the soft click of heels slowly approach before he saw her body, slightly smaller than his own if you didn't count how far she could stretch her neck. He took two steps back and slowly nodded, allowing the woman to retract her neck back into her body as she glared at him. 

"May I ask why you just waltzed into a place of learning with a loaded gun? Do you have no care for the children here?" She asked while crossing her arms, making him scoff as he retorted. "Sure you can, as long as you're comfortable with explaining why you were going straight for my throat with that stretchy neck of yours." He matched her glare with one of his own, making her narrow her eyes in anger.

"A man just blasted through the front door of a school with a gun, how do you expect an educator to act?"

"By hiding or calling the police I imagine, not using her neck to potentially strangle the intruder. How do you expect a man to react in self-defense?"

Her smile become more strained with each word before she finally asked. "Why are you here, sir?" She spat the word 'sir' out like it was garbage, making him raise a brow in slight amusement before he answered. "I'm looking for some wayward children who may have stumbled in to this school." The Teacher's eyes briefly widened before she suddenly smiled, all hostility leaving her as she came to some sort of conclusion. "I see now, you're just a concerned parent coming to pick up their children. The coming downpour must have been a serious cause of concern." The man tilted his head a bit, greatly confused by her response. He decided to roll with it, not sure if this Teacher was completely sane. Her attitude did a complete 180 despite the fact that he basically had her at gunpoint, nothing about this screamed normal.

"I... suppose that would be an apt description. I don't want to leave my children stranded in here when they could be home where they are most comfortable." He said, causing the woman to nod along as she walked forward, moving past him as she spoke. "I understand sir, you don't stay an educator this long without knowing a few things about concerned parents." She said, shooing the crowding fake children away to their respective classes before sighing softly. She suddenly turned and looked at him, her smile was replaced with a tense frown while her eyes gazed at him like he was some sort of anomaly. She looked him up and down before slowly speaking once more. "Why do you look so... normal? Why aren't you warped like the rest of the people staring at those terrible TV screens?" She asked with an undertone of shock in her voice.

The Architect blinked, not expecting the sudden question. "I don't like watching TV that much, I know what twisted thing controls their screens. I'm not eager to become another husk before that damnable Signal Tower." His response made her look at him with wide eyes, shock clear as day as she gazed at him. She seemed to think deeply for a moment, staring at the ground. "So... you aren't enthralled by the transmission like everyone else?" She asked carefully, making him nod slowly with a raised brow. "Does my face look mutilated to you?" He asked, making her slowly shake her head before she spoke quickly, her voice laced with fear. "Why the hell are you still in this city? Why aren't you miles away from this hellish place!?" She hissed, not understanding why he would choose to walk back into this dreaded city willingly. The only reason she was still here was because she didn't have a way out, and she didn't want to risk getting turned into one of the viewers while trying to escape.

"I'm making my way to the Signal Tower to destroy it, I'll happily leave once it's reduced to rubble." He said with a grunt, making the woman gape at him. Destroy the Signal Tower? The very notion of seeing that dreaded building collapse seemed absolutely impossible to the Teacher. Years of seeing it loom over the city made her firmly believe that nothing could touch it, no man or woman could hope to harm that **thing**. Anyone who got close were warped to those grotesque viewers or driven mad, she couldn't imagine a worse goal if she tried. "I can think of better ways of committing suicide, that gun of yours would probably be the most painless way to go." She scoffed with a shake of her head, making the man narrow his eyes. So not everyone was a warped freak in this city, some of them were potentially sane and had the fear of God put in them by that Tower.

"I'll keep that in mind, where are my children?"

"You can search the classrooms if you like, I have plenty of-."

"I don't mean those disgusting imitations you have sway over, actual living, breathing children."

She paused, staring at the man for a moment like she was desperately trying to remember something. "No living child reside in these walls anymore, you must be mistaken." He tightened his grip on his weapon, something The Teacher noticed with nervous eyes as he spoke. "I am not, three children entered this building and I am not leaving without them. If you have no information regarding their whereabouts I will happily search this school room by room until I find them." The Teacher stared at the man for a moment before she started walking again, motioning for him to follow. He warily did so, keeping the gun firmly trained on her as he followed. "I may know where my students would take a living child, they are rather rowdy whenever I'm not around." She spoke, making him briefly remember the roughhousing brats he saw earlier.

"So I've noticed."

"They are still delightful to teach I assure you, very obedient when it comes to their studies." She continued as she stepped over a disregarded toy, The Architect paid it no heed as he walked. He only stopped when he heard something creak loudly beneath his foot. He was seconds away from firing when he noticed a shadow falling over him, prompting him to back up quickly as a locker fell. It caught the barrels of his gun and made him lose his grip on the weapon, it discharged when it hit the ground, making the Teacher flinch back as the shells tore through the locker and nearly hit her. She soon smiled as the man regarded the destroyed weapon with a tight frown. "It just occurred to me that you were planning on taking these children of yours with you to a potentially dangerous place, something that someone like me couldn't just overlook." She said as her neck slowly began to stretch out, making the man slowly reach into his pouch.

"I believe they'd be much safer in my care, I'll even get to teach real children again."

"Like hell, I'd sooner die than let you have them." The Architect firmly gripped a handful of shells as he glared at the Teacher.

Her grin widened at his words before she shot forward like a snake, the man swiftly moved, jamming a handful of shells into her open mouth. She gagged and made to retreat when he grabbed her neck, roughly slamming his palm into her chin and forcing her to bite down. She howled in pain and reeled her head back, spitting out bloody shells and teeth as the man sprinted away to a nearby elevator, quickly pressing a random floor just as she came at him once more. The doors swiftly shut, making him sigh in relief as he rubbed his neck. At least he didn't have to carry that rusty piece of shit around anymore. Back to the basics than.

-

Mono slipped through the cracked door quickly, his stolen mask shattering on the floor in front of him as he stood up and donned his paper mask. Much better, lot less cramped too.

He looked at the metal door before him, narrowing his eyes at the large white button out of his reach. He looked up and saw a jar with a brain inside high above him, seated on top of a shelf. He quickly began to climb the shelves and drawers, grimacing at some of the things he saw resting in the jars around him. He was pretty sure that was a human hand in one of those jars, it even twitched a bit. He finally reached the jar with the brain and tossed it to the ground, quickly descending using a small hook on the side before picking up the foul smelling organ. He quickly threw it up at the button, wiping his hands clean on his coat before moving on. He was greeted by the sight of the Teacher leaning over a sink, cleaning up her bloodied jaw before walking into the next room. He waited until he couldn't hear the angry click of heels before venturing inside.

Mono couldn't help but grin a bit, it seems The Architect met the lovely woman and left quite the impression. He would have felt happier if he found RK and Six but he was having little luck. He would find them, even if he had to search every square inch of this terrible school.

Linking up with The Architect sounded promising, he only hoped they'd cross paths soon.

Mono entered the science lab with that final thought, determination driving him forward in search of his captured friends. 


	13. A Clash Of Ideals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Architect evades The Teacher as he searches for the trio of children, Mono finally finds Six and RK.

The Architect slowly stepped into the dark hallway with a small frown, his right eye being the only source of light as he walks forward. For an elementary school, this place was pretty huge. He didn't have many to reference from of course but this still felt a little ridiculous. It would be incredibly easy for a child to get lost in here, though he doubted anyone else really cared for the concerns of children. He wasn't sure what exactly led to this ruthless treatment, but he was certain it was somehow linked to that Signal Tower. It was a blemish that stood tall over this dreaded city, warping the mind and bodies of all who stared at the hypnotic screens of the TVs. He didn't know if destroying it would help or stop anything, but the world would benefit in some way if that **abomination** was vanquished.

At the very least he'd be rid of this stupid headache.

He entered some sort of storage room, filled with shelves and spare tables. The shelves were stocked with cleaning solutions and boxes of chalk, The Architect felt a grin spread over his face as he saw something delightful on the shelves. A box of nails sat there, beckoning him as he walked forward. He grabbed the box and looked at the tables in thought, smiling as he approached the tables. This would be crude and very shoddy work at best, most things were when you're rushed for time, but it would serve its purpose well enough. He ripped chunks of wood off the table, hammering the nails into them before flipping them over and setting them by the door. He stretched a thin wire out at head height by the door, quickly crouching behind an overturned teacher's desk when he heard the sound of heels approaching.

Ahh this brought him back, he almost felt like a kid again, hiding in the underbrush of that dark forest.

-

The Teacher stared at the empty elevator for a moment before walking down the hall, the man only had a limited amount of places to hide in on this floor. She was thankful that the only abnormality he had was that strange eye, startling as it may be it seemed to do little else. He should be easy to subdue without a weapon to keep him safe, all she needed to do was find him. She couldn't wait to find those children he mentioned, the thought of teaching actual children made her smile. The dolls she had filled the void for awhile, but she missed seeing that spark of curiosity in a child's eye. She was sick of staring at those unmoving porcelain faces, they could move and act like children all they wanted but it just didn't feel the same. She would stop at nothing to find those kids.

Even if she had to murder the only other sane person she's seen in years.

She would have felt guiltier about this if The Architect wasn't suicidal, only a fool would brazenly approach the Signal Tower with the intent to do it harm. If the swarms of viewers didn't tear him limb from limb, then the maddening signal would just enthrall him like everyone else. Where would that leave those precious children of his? They would be killed or forced to navigate a city filled with monsters, she refused to allow that. Let the stubborn man die, she would happily watch over those kids in his absence.

The Teacher stopped when she saw the storage room door, it was slightly ajar, making her grin as she stretched her neck out and opened it fully. Her eyes caught the gleam of a wire in the light, she carefully avoided it while walking in. She swiveled her head around as she searched the room, looking for the slightest hint of movement as her body walked into the room. She smirked when she saw the overturned desk, filling the air with the sound of contorting flesh as she stretched her neck over. She was just about to peek over the table when she felt a sharp pain in her feet, making her shout in pain and turn away. She lifted her left foot, glowering at the bloodstained nails beneath before turning back towards the desk. Two hands roughly gripped her head before she was slammed down onto the table, her neck catching the edge with a loud thud.

She wheezed violently when she felt the wooden edge dig into her neck, retracting her neck on instinct as the man shoved the desk into her shuddering body. Her back hit the wall as The Architect pushed the table onto her, narrowly avoiding her clamping jaw before bolting out of the room. The Teacher would have screamed in rage if her throat didn't hurt so much, settling with slowly pushing the table away before gingerly massaging her bruised neck. She experimentally stretched her neck and winced in pain, seething in anger. That brute of a man had no qualms about doing permanent damage, she could very well die if she wasn't careful. The thought alone made her anger spike, she survived for years in this school, far from the maddening drones of static.

She refused to let those years fade just because of one stupid man with a death wish!

-

Mono grunted as he brought a hammer down on another porcelain head, sending the lifeless body of a bully to the ground. How many did that make now? They were starting to become more aggressive and numerous, maybe he was going the right way. An enraged squeal behind him made him turn and swing, catching a lunging bully midflight with a satisfying crash. More shards littered the ground as he pressed on, his paper bag hiding his narrowed eyes as another bully sprung out of the lockers to his left. Their annoying laughter was swiftly silenced by a swing of his hammer, he turned just in time to see another running at him. Mono had little time to wind up for another swing, so he threw the weapon as best as he could at its feet, making it trip and land face down on the ground with a grunt.

He swiftly jumped onto the bully's back, gripping their head tightly before slamming it into the ground. He repeated this until the struggling beneath him halted and the head shattered like fine china, panting slightly as he glared down at the body. Well, that was satisfying, he could see why The Architect looked so pleased after doing something similar to The Hunter. He picked up the hammer and kept walking, picking up the pace when he heard the voices of Six and RK ahead. He entered the bathroom to see a struggling RK gripping the head of a bully tightly, hoisted halfway up the ceiling while Six was a bit higher. She cheered him on as he tried to wrench the head clean off, another bully was pointing and laughing at the spectacle. Mono smashed the laughing one's head, making the one in RK's hand stiffen as it caught sight of the angry bag headed boy.

The bully looked up at a smirking RK, quickly shaking its head before the boy released it. It landed on its back, raising its head just in time to catch the head of a hammer.

"That had to be the most satisfying thing I've seen all day." Six said as Mono approached the wooden board holding them aloft with rope, he smashed it with the hammer, making RK fall first before Six landed on his stomach. The boy wheezed softly in pain as the girl quickly stood up, helping him up with the assistance of Mono. "Are you two okay? I came looking for you guys as soon as I could." Mono spoke, letting RK lean on him as Six rubbed his back. The sweater wearing boy gave him a small smile, rubbing his shoulder as he spoke. "Could have gone without being a landing pad, but I'll live." His response made the bag wearing boy snort, internally happy that nothing too bad happened to them. He wasn't sure what he'd do if they had been killed, he shuddered at the thought. His shaking only got worse when he thought about explaining their deaths to The Architect. Would he still allow him to stay? Would he call him useless before throwing him out? He couldn't bear the thought of seeing those kind eyes filled with animosity directed towards him.

Mono was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a hand wrap around his own, squeezing softly before Six spoke. "Hey, we're okay Mono. Nothing bad happened to us and we have you to thank for that." He looked over at the softly smiling girl before he felt RK clap his shoulder lightly. "We're still alive and those stupid bullies are nothing but broken porcelain, I consider this to be a good day despite being strung up like a fish." He smiled widely at Mono, making him laugh a bit before he nodded a bit. That's right, they were fine and that was all that mattered, thinking about what could of have happened would do him no good. He gave wrapped his arms around Six and RK, enveloping them in a quick hug that they were quick to return. They stayed like that for a moment or two before separating, climbing the windowsill and leaving the bathroom behind.

They crossed a small bridge made of wooden planks into the next room, frowning when they saw no clear way out, only the piano in the middle of the room. RK noticed the rope attached to it and followed it to the crank on the wall, curious, he walked over and began twisting the crank. The piano slowly rose up, higher and higher until the rope snapped, causing it to come crashing back down to the floor. Six and Mono winced at the loud sound of wood shattering, looking over at a grinning RK as he climbed up the piano. He jumped on the piano, making it lurch downwards a bit before he turned to the other two. "We can probably make a way down by breaking the floor with the piano." He stated, making them stare at the piano with a slightly hesitant look.

"This can't possibly be safe."

"This can go terribly wrong in so many ways."

RK pouted slightly at their words as they climbed on, he thought this was pretty clever. They began to jump on the piano, making it lurch further and further down before it fell through the floor, taking the three screaming children down with it. They slowly uncovered their heads, looking around before RK laughed with excitement. "That was great! We still have all our limbs so I will gladly take some praise at anytime." He said while closing his eyes, smiling with pride before yelping in pain when Six flicked his forehead. "You're lucky none of us got hurt." Six hopped past him while Mono rubbed the poor boy's head as he walked past. "At least we got down okay, good thinking RK." RK beamed at the praise and quickly followed them.

"At least someone appreciates my genius!"

"Mono's too nice, he wouldn't call you an idiot."

"And that's why he's such a great friend!"

"That's why I call you an idiot for him."

Mono flushed a bit under his mask, chuckling to himself as they bickered. It was nice to be called a great friend, especially by such a likeable boy like RK. He smiled to himself as he watched Six boost RK up through a small vent. frowning at the sight of a bully on the other side of the shudders dissecting a frog. He climbed up the piano and began to run across the keys, making the bully look up and walk over to the shudders to investigate. RK grabbed a steel pipe and happily brought it down on the distracted bully's head, shattering it before grabbing the key he found outside. Six and Mono raised the shudders enough for the boy to pass through, watching as he unlocked the door and slowly pushed it open. They walked through and stopped at the sight of a bully scrawling on the floor in the corner of the room.

Mono noted the hammer sitting inside and started to creep forward when he noticed Six creeping up on the bully. She pounced on to the bully, ignoring its cry of surprise as she grabbed its head and slammed it into the ground. With an aggravated grunt, she shattered its head with a final slam, panting slightly before getting off the body and staring at the two boys. Mono released the hammer slowly while RK just blinked in surprise. "Guess that's one way to handle them." He spoke with a nervous smile before helping Mono open a drawer, giving them leverage to scale the desk blocking their way. Six was always quick to act when faced with a threat, her brutally shattering that doll like that was expected, he just hated how it reminded him of how she killed the guests on The Maw without batting an eye.

They climbed over the table just in time to see The Architect stumble out of a door to their left, angrily ripping a bully of his face before wincing in pain. He looked down to see one of the laughing hooligans jab his leg with a pencil, he kicked it into the wall with a grunt, shattering it before glaring at the one in his hand. The runt was no longer laughing, shaking in slight fear before he threw it at the ground. He rubbed his face as he muttered to himself.

"Annoying fucking pests..."

"Mr. Architect!"

The excited shout made the man quickly look over to the three shocked kids, Mono quickly jumped off the table towards the man. He quickly caught the boy and embraced him as Six and RK jumped down to meet him. He hoped they didn't hear that, he had enough trouble getting them to stop cursing on occasion, he didn't want to add another word to their vocabulary. Wait, they already heard him use that one when he was in the forest chasing after The Hunter, God damn it! The children were oblivious to their guardian's mental plight, happily embracing him with relieved smiles. They were sick of this school and wanted nothing more than to leave it behind, something The Architect agreed with completely. "I've been looking all over for you guys, are you alright?" He asked, looking them over for any injuries.

Six nodded as she answered. "We're okay, Mono saved us from the bullies before anything bad could happen." The aforementioned boy felt like sinking into the ground as The Architect regarded him quickly, a large smile blossoming over his face as he gently rubbed the top of his head. "Good work Mono, playing hero must come naturally to you." The man said, making him grin under his mask at the pride in his voice before they heard the sound of a piano playing a floor above them. The Architect narrowed his eyes before speaking carefully, eyeing the vent that led into the next room.

"I can see a way inside for you guys up there, I'll boost you up and get her attention once you guys are inside." The kids frowned deeply at this, making him sigh a bit. "I know, I know, I'm not a fan of this gimmick either, but this will hopefully be the last time we have to separate." He assured them as he carried them up the stairs, placing them on top of the shelve leading to the vent before walking over to the door. They looked over at him and gave a nod before he raised his foot and kicked the door roughly. The piano instantly stopped as The Architect shouted. "I've heard dying birds make more pleasant melodies! No wonder your fake children are so terrible, they have an awful teacher as their role model!" He quickly ran downstairs as the enraged woman burst through the door, stretching her neck out as she gave chase. The kids were free to enter the room, hoping that their guardian would escape unscathed.

-

The Architect narrowly jumped over a fallen locker with The Teacher hot on his heels, her deafening shrieks filling his ears as he turned down a corridor. He must have really pissed her off, he didn't know someone could run that fast with heels. The kids should hopefully be out of the school by the time he lost the woman, he wasn't sure how he'd lose her yet but he'd figure something out. Just needed to wait until she tripped up or something, he doubted she would get tired anytime soon.

He was just about to turn another corner when a bully pushed a locker into his path, making his eyes widen as he tried to jump over it, his foot caught the edge and he was sent sprawling towards the window. The glass shattered as he fell through, he grits his teeth and tried his best to brace himself as he landed on the wet ground painfully. He groaned in pain, bleeding from a few small cuts as he tried to sit up. His left shoulder felt like it was on fire and it hurt like hell to move in the slightest.

Fucking perfect. 

His eyes widened when he heard the sound of contorting flesh, making him quickly reach into his belt with his good arm before he felt the teacher constrict his neck with her own. It was an incredibly uncomfortable feeling when mixed with the pain of being choked, he gasped as he ripped a screwdriver free and plunged it into her throat with fading strength. A scream of pain later and he could breath normally again, he dropped the tool and quickly slammed her head into the pavement. He pressed his knee down on her throat, panting through gritted teeth as he glared down at her. 

"That's enough, we're done here." He hissed while picking up the blood stained screwdriver, holding it up to her eye. She stared up at him with pure contempt, slowly speaking despite the pressure on her throat. "You... can't... destroy... that Tower. You're going to get those kids killed, they won't be able to live their lives because of **you**." He sneered at her and put more pressure on her throat, making her cough as he spoke. "And a life here would be better? Wasting away in this poor excuse of a school under the watch of that God damn abomination? You call that a life worth living? I would rather die trying to change this shitty world than live like that! Those kids **chose** to follow me, if it was up to me they'd be as far from this place as humanly possible."

The woman refused to meet his eyes now, prompting him to continue. "I'm going to get off your neck now, if you try anything, I'll jab this screwdriver into those unblinking eyes until you stop moving, do you understand?" She gave something that resembled a nod, good enough. He cautiously stood up, watching as her neck retracted back to her body. She placed a hand firmly over her wound, not looking too troubled by what would usually be a lethal blow. He was about to leave when she spoke once more, her voice noticeably weaker yet slightly hopeful.

"For their sake, I hope you succeed. I'd rather not imagine what would happen to them if you failed."

The Architect slowly nodded, turning to walk away as he responded. "That's something we can both agree on." 'What ifs' were a pointless and dangerous line of thinking, especially now. He would try his best to set things right or die trying, nothing else mattered.

The Teacher watched as the man disappeared as he entered an alley, looking towards the Signal Tower in the distance. She tried her best to envision a world without it, without that repetitive blinking light spreading its taint to every TV it could.

She found herself enjoying the sight her mind conjured.

-

The Architect walked out of the alley with a grimace, looking down at his dislocated shoulder with a frown. Popping it back into place now might complicate things since he didn't know the full extent of the damage, he didn't want to damage anything by attempting to fix it now. He was about to keep moving when he heard something rustle in the nearby dumpster, he was about to reach for his belt when Mono's bagged head peeked out to look at him. He visibly relaxed when he saw Six and RK climb out with him, quickly running over to the man when they noticed his cut-up face and limp left arm. "Mr. Architect! Are you ok!?" Mono asked in concern.

The man gave a small nod. "Shoulder got dislocated and I got banged up from a fall, I can still walk though." He said as they eyed his shoulder with concern. He kneeled and held his hand out, letting them climb on before he began to walk once more. He awkwardly held them up so they could jump onto his good shoulder, letting his hand fall to his side as he walked. "We're going to have to fix that shoulder eventually." Six warned, making him nod a bit in agreement. "Yeah we will, we just need to find a good place to do so and ensure we don't make it worse by forcing it back into its socket." He explained, frowning as he got soaked by the rain falling around him. Should have brought or stolen an umbrella or coat, now he had to worry about getting sick on top of everything else.

RK gently rubbed his shoulder. "Well, we might find a place to rest soon, we can deal with it then." He said hopefully, making The Architect nod with a small smile. He sped up his walk, wanting to get out of this terrible weather as soon as possible and fix his damaged shoulder.

Can't topple an eldritch monstrosity with just one arm after all. 


	14. Take A Number, Please

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wounded Architect and his children finally find respite from the rain in the form of a rundown hospital. They soon get acquainted with the only staff member still working.

The Architect rubbed rainwater off his face for what was most likely the eleventh time, shuddering a bit in his drenched clothes. RK was shivering despite his best attempts to shield the boy from the rain, Six and Mono were the only ones taking this weather in stride. He regretted not stealing a coat or something from those apartments he passed by earlier. They've been walking through these rain-soaked alleys for a while now, most of the roads were either destroyed or too hazardous to cross. They were slowly getting closer to the Signal Tower, causing his headache to worsen considerably. He was tired and felt absolutely terrible, the slightest movement caused his dislocated shoulder to flare up in pain. He pressed on nevertheless in search of shelter, none of the places they've tried had been unlocked much to his growing ire.

The children looked at their irritated guardian with mounting concern, every few seconds brought a grimace of pain to his face. He was walking slower, more sluggish as fatigue began to set in. They didn't know how much longer he could keep moving like this before he eventually collapsed, how would they even be able to help him in such a state? A cold and clammy hand gripped their hearts tightly as they tried to think of anyway of helping him, not wanting to see The Architect wither away in this dirty alley. Six and RK felt their hearts soar with relief when Mono pointed at a large building with an open window. "There! We can rest inside for a bit!" The bag wearing boy said, making the man smile slightly at the sight. "Thank god, good eye Mono." The boy smiled as the man approached the building.

The Architect was cautious, as cold and uncomfortable as this downpour was, no threats emerged in the streets or alleys. He'd rather not contend with whatever might be lurking inside, but his body demanded rest and respite from the harsh rain. He slowly climbed through the window, looking around the well light room carefully before taking a few steps forward. The room had an empty wheelchair facing the window as well as a small table with coasters and discarded bags of chips. He gave his surroundings one last look before he relaxed and sat down on the wheelchair with a loud sigh, the uncomfortable chair felt like paradise to the man. The kids quickly disembarked, allowing him to rest as they walked around the room. Mono tried to shake off the water clinging to his coat while RK rubbed his hands together quickly. Six caught a glimpse of a vending machine in the next room, the thought of eating something made her approach it quickly.

She jumped up and pulled the crank, smiling when a can of soda fell into the receptacle, she pulled it three more times before grabbing one. She hauled it back to the other room and held it up to the tired Architect with a small grunt. "Here Mr. Architect, It's not much, but it should help." The man smiled kindly as he reached down and plucked the can out of her grasp, struggling for a moment to open it before RK hopped up and helped him, giving the man a small smile as he took a sip from the can. It tasted like oranges and was sickeningly sweet, but he hardly cared. It made his dry throat feel a bit better and gave him some energy, it was also pretty tasty so that was a plus. RK jumped back down and followed Six and Mono to grab their own cans, carrying them back in the room before opening them.

They sat in front of The Architect as they drank the carbonated beverages, sighing happily as they threw the empty cans aside. The Architect would have said something if he had the energy to care about leaving a mess, he instead threw his own empty can out the window. The alleys outside were already a mess, one extra can wouldn't matter too much. "Thanks kids, I still feel a little under the weather, but at least I'm dry and filled with soda." Six and RK smiled up at the man while Mono nodded. He reclined back in the chair, fighting the urge to fall asleep as he thought about their current situation. This place was either a hospital or an asylum, he was hoping to find something inside that could help him see the full scope of the damage in his shoulder. An X-ray machine would be great, along with some painkillers.

That would mean venturing deeper into this large building, wasting more time instead of getting closer to that damned tower. He hated the thought of letting that cursed structure stand a second longer, but he could do nothing with one arm out of commission. He still didn't have the slightest clue on how to topple it either, it would have been simple if it was just a regular old signal tower. Blow out the supports and watch it crumble, watch the dust settle and head back home. How do you destroy something that used brick and mortar as a cloak to hide its eldritch appearance and could easily warp your mind? It was going to be complicated, the only way he could think of doing any real damage was by venturing **inside**.

He shuddered at the thought, It allowed him to come inside and leave the last time. It wouldn't be so kind this time around if it realized his intent.

He slowly stood back up, making the children look up at him as he spoke. "We should keep moving, something in here might help me fix my shoulder." RK looked a bit hesitant, the man was still tired and unsteady. He could hide his exhaustion as much as he liked, one good look at his eyes revealed just how bad he was feeling. "Are you sure you don't want to rest for a few more minutes?" He asked, making the man frown softly before he shook his head. He could keep going until they found something to help him, he would happily rest once his shoulder was fixed. A few more halls and doors wouldn't kill him. "I can keep going for a little while, I'll rest if we don't find anything soon." The Architect assured the boy, making him nod a bit as they ventured deeper into the hospital.

The ward ahead was incredibly dark, they had to rely on The Architect's eye and Six's lighter to guide them. Mono tripped over something, landing with a grunt as everyone turned to look at him. He rubbed his head and looked at the object he tripped over, smiling under his mask when he saw it was a small flashlight. He turned it on quickly, it fit perfectly in his small hands. The Architect couldn't resist teasing the boy as he let his irritated eye rest. "I told you it was a miracle you could see out that bag of yours." The boy pouted under his mask before he quickly defended himself, ignoring the soft laughter of Six and RK. "It was really dark, I can see just fine out of this thing!" He exclaimed as they continued walking, making the man chuckle a bit as they walked through a small lobby. He ripped a small paper out of the nearby machine, frowning a bit when he saw his waiting number.

134, he hoped they weren't actually that many people in here.

He pocketed the slip as they continued walking, idly noting the stairs leading to a second floor as he walked past a few mannequins dressed in hospital gowns. They were all huddled around the TV as if they were watching it, he was about to climb upstairs when he heard the familiar sound of static. He looked behind him with frantic eyes as the kids entered the room just as the TV blared to life, it's nauseating signal quickly playing havoc with their nerves as he clutched his head with one hand. Six and RK shied away from the TV while Mono gripped his head and slowly approached it. The Architect was about to shout at him to step away when he felt a small pinch in his neck as a hand swiftly covered his mouth, making his eyes widen as he tried to break free from the mysterious person's hold.

He felt his eyes droop a bit as something was injected into him, his struggles slowed as the hand moved to comfortingly rub his back as he started to black out. He couldn't hear whatever the person was whispering to him through the haze of static, quickly falling unconscious as he was carefully picked up and carried upstairs.

-

Mono was getting closer to that mysterious door, the static was becoming bearable, less oppressing. He was about to reach for the handle when he felt that familiar pull before he was ejected, Six and RK were at his side in a flash. He recovered a bit faster this time, the static haze slowly leaving his mind as he sat up. "I can think of better ways of turning off a TV than jumping into it like that, you need to stop doing that Mono." Six warned, making Mono frown a bit under his mask. He wished it was that easy, the call that filled his ears was nearly impossible to ignore. His whole body shuddered with agony the farther he got from the TV, it felt like he was slowly dying every time they turned on. The only thing that relieved that pain was answering that horrible siren song, something was behind that door and it was eagerly calling for him. He could feel how frustrated it got with every interruption and setback.

"I wish I could, it hurts so bad whenever I don't get closer and I can't bear it. It feels like I'm slowly getting ripped apart the longer I ignore it." He said sadly, making the girl frown with sympathy. It sounder eerily familiar to her bouts of hunger back on The Maw, she couldn't think of anything else whenever her hunger struck. She had to find something to shovel into her mouth before that horrible pain threatened to drive her mad, she didn't even care if it was a rat or a person, as long as it filled her stomach. The thought spurred concern for the boy, if something was actively calling to him and forcing him to answer through agonizing pain, she didn't want to step close to another TV. Smashing any they came across sounded like a great idea to her. RK quickly spoke up, his voice noticeably nervous and shaky.

"Guy's... where did The Architect go?"

The two kids quickly stood up, frantically searching the room for their missing guardian. They didn't see a single sign of the man, the spot he was standing in was now vacant. A pop from upstairs made them all flinch, looking up in time to see two fuses fly off the circuit connecting to the elevator. They quickly ran upstairs, looking at the smoking circuit with tight frowns before looking at each other. The Architect wouldn't willingly leave them under normal circumstances, not without telling them something. It was easy to lose sight of the man with that damned static threatening to make them go deaf, this meant someone or something abducted him during the confusion and chaos. The realization made Six frown tightly, their injured guardian was at the mercy of some unknown monster, she refused to waste time while he was in peril. A quick look at her friends told her they felt the same, both boys had clenched fists and rigid stances.

"We need to hurry and get this elevator working again, let's find some new fuses to replace the broken ones." Six spoke quickly and sternly, making Mono and RK nod quickly before they went back downstairs in search for a key. Six had seen the locked door as she ascended the stairs, they would start from there and see where that leads them.

She only hoped they could reach The Architect before anything terrible happened.

-

The Architect felt incredibly groggy, any attempts to open his eyes nearly left him blind from the harsh glare of the overhead lamp. He scarcely heard a man's voice as he tried to shake off the effects of whatever was injected into him.

"Patient is conscious but still dazed, evidence of blunt trauma as well as a dislocated shoulder." The man briefly hummed. "Nothing noteworthy besides that, you might feel a sharp pain, sir, but your shoulder should be right as rain." The man said softly, his voice low and professional. The Architect felt a hand rest on his shoulder while another gripped his bicep. "The sedative I administered should help, take a deep breath for me." The Architect slowly took a deep breath, repeating this a few more times when he felt nothing happen. He relaxed slightly.

The man swiftly popped his shoulder back into place, making his eyes snap open as he shouted loudly in pain. "Motherfucker!" He hissed, quickly grabbing his shoulder before noticing the absence of pain. He experimentally rolled it, only receiving a small bit of discomfort from the action. He could at least use it to grab and carry things again, so long as they didn't way a ton. He turned to address the man who fixed it, flinching in surprise when he found a portly man hanging off the ceiling above him. His lips were curled back into a smile, revealing his teeth and gums as he looked at The Architect with unblinking eyes. He had a receding hairline along with swollen fingers, his eyes were also receding. The overcoat he wore was a bit dirty, stained here and there with dirt and what he assumed was dried blood.

"I would reprimand you for such language, but a closed reduction can be painful." The Doctor spoke casually, making The Architect regain his composure enough to speak. It was a bit odd to look up to someone during conversation, this must be how the kids felt whenever they talked. " I appreciate the service, Doctor. You have no idea how irritating it was to walk around with that shoulder." He spoke honestly, he was still cautious of the man who drugged him and dragged him away from his children. He didn't really have the energy to fight the man if he turned hostile, best to keep things civil until his motives were revealed.

The Doctor waved his words aside with a hearty laugh. " I need no thanks my good man, I am simply doing what any respectful doctor should. It would reflect poorly on me If I left my 134th patient waiting around all day." The man said jovially, making The Architect look at him in surprise. He knew about the slip? How?! The guy wasn't even in the room! He tucked these questions away as he laid back down on the hospital bed. "I noticed you were a bit fatigued when I brought you in, as well as soaking wet from the rain outside. How do you feel?" He asked while examining the bedridden man.

"A bit sluggish, but I feel fine. No pain or discomforts unless I move my shoulder a certain way." The Architect answered, making The Doctor nod before he clapped his hands. "Perfect! You should be well rested and ready for the next stage of treatment." This made The Architect look at the man with questioning eyes, he just said he felt fine. What else could be done? He noted the surprising number of occupied beds in the room, narrowing his eyes when he realized they were all mannequins of some sort. Some were missing limbs while others had hooks replacing their hands. He felt discomfort and fear start to worm into his heart as he spoke again. "I'm confused Doctor, what treatment are you referring to?" The question made the man hanging above him look at him with a wide smile.

"Why improvements my good man! Everyone comes here seeking a fresh new look or body, I assumed you were here for the same thing." He explained, a confused frown forming as The Architect shook his head. "I only came here seeking shelter and aid, I would hate to trouble you further with so many patients to look after. I'll be on my way as soon as-." He was interrupted when The Doctor got leaned down, getting much too close for comfort as he spoke. "And where exactly are you going? The only thing beyond this hospital is that horrid Signal Tower." The Architect resisted the urge to wince as the man spoke, The Doctor's eyes narrowed before they slowly widened in realization.

"You're heading to the Signal Tower... I can see now why you came here. You must have a troubled mind, something **must** be affecting your rational thoughts if you were willingly marching towards that building. You obviously came here seeking help!" The man said before giving him a comforting smile, resting a hand on his shoulder as he spoke. " I am truly honored that you took the first steps in seeking help for whatever ails you, I promise I will do everything in my power to make you well again. You are in good hands, sir." The Doctor spoke in what he assumed was a calming voice, it did little to stem the mounting panic welling in The Architect's chest. He gave The Doctor a weak smile, resisting this man further may lead to more extreme measures to get him to cooperate, he would rather avoid a straight jacket if he could.

"I-I'm glad to be under the care of such a understanding doctor, I was honestly a bit embarrassed about coming here. Thought I might get tossed in the looney bin if I came here." He said with a little laugh, The Doctor laughed along as he took a tray filled with food and set it close to The Architect. "Many people have come with far more embarrassing problems I assure you, we would only restrain you in such a fashion if you were a danger to yourself and others. You have no need to worry." The man assured as The Architect slowly began to eat, internally screaming at his circumstances. Now he had to play the good little patient while this quack of a doctor watched over him. He would have to wait for a chance to leave or hope the children did something-.

Wait, the kids! They were probably scared out of their wits by his sudden disappearance, they were probably searching for him right now. He hoped they wouldn't get into too much trouble, he trusted them to be careful as they traversed the hospital. He just hoped they didn't get the attention of this crazy doctor. He would have to bide his time until an opportunity presented itself. The Doctor began to leave, shouting some words over his shoulder. "I will be back soon to relocate you for further treatment, please stay and recover until I return." He said, making The Architect reply with a slight smile. "Won't move a muscle Doc." The Doctor gave a small laugh as he exited the room, allowing it's only living occupant to frown freely. This would greatly complicate things.

He got comfortable and sipped some water from the glass, letting out a refreshed sigh. At least he could rest for a moment, best not to waste this chance to recuperate. 


	15. Miracles Of Modern Medicine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Doctor guides The Architect towards another room for his treatment as the trio of children desperately search for a way to find their guardian.

A hammer fell upon a scurrying mannequin's hand, halting its movement for a moment. Mono let out a yell as he brought the hammer down once more on the twitching hand, immensely satisfied when it curled up and finally stayed still. The creepy limb had been hunting him ever since he was boosted into this stupid room, words could not describe how happy he was now that it was dead, or at least inanimate. He let the hammer go and climbed the workbench where the fuse sat, frowning slightly as he picked it up. The table reminded him of The Architect's restless love for making things, something he saw firsthand when his shoulder was finally healed. He's never seen a man get so excited about being able to work again, he truly hated being idle it seems. The memory pushed the boy onward, breaking the glass that barred his escape from this dreaded room filled with wooden limbs and bodies.

Mono carefully stepped over the fallen glass with the fuse held tightly in his hands, entering the next room to find Six and RK sitting by a wooden arm. They were curling the fingers into different hand signs when they caught sight of him with the fuse, they quickly changed the hand to show a thumbs up, making the bag headed boy laugh a bit before they left the room. They crossed the lobby and inserted the fuse into a circuit powering an electric door, it slid open with a loud blare of an alarm. They walked inside carefully, quickly spotting a room that housed the last fuse. It was powering an electric chair, it didn't look suited for electro therapy. Mono tried his best not to imagine The Architect strapped to a similar chair, quickly searching for a way to get inside. He spotted an opening in a gated door, he could climb through the slot in the middle to get in if he got a boost.

"Hey, I can climb in through here if someone could boost me." He said to the other two kids, making them look at him with a bit of concern. They were all for saving The Architect, but Mono was volunteering for each of these dangerous and unknown situations. RK was willing to go into the last room when the bag wearing boy offered to go instead. Six decided to voice her concerns. "Are you sure you want to go in there? RK or even I could go in there, you don't have to tire yourself out." She didn't want the boy to die because he couldn't understand his limits, charging headfirst into an unknown ward could potentially lead to ruin. Mono would have been touched by her concern in any other case, but his guilt refused to let him rest until The Architect was found once more. He felt responsible for his abduction, they could have done something if he would have just turned off that stupid TV.

The Architect wouldn't have been paralyzed with pain like him, he wouldn't have been taken deeper into this hospital teeming with unknown horrors, he wouldn't have to be at the mercy of some monster if Mono would have just turned the damn thing off. This was **his** fault and he was determined to set it right, no matter how scary things got. "I can keep going, besides I have a flashlight. The rooms ahead look especially dark, I doubt that lighter will help too much in there." He assured them as best as he could, lifting his mask up a bit to give them a small smile. This hardly eased their concerns, but they knew he was much too driven to be dissuaded. RK stood against the door and cupped his hands together, letting Mono step on his hand before he spoke to the other boy.

"None of us blame you for what happened, I just want you to know that." He said softly, making the bag wearing boy pause for a moment before RK boosted him up. He was glad none of them could see the tight frown on his face, he wished he could believe that as easily as they did. He fell into the room as the light above began to flicker, noticing the still body of a wooden patient standing in the doorway. His eyes widened slightly when he saw its hands twitch whenever the light flickered, flinching with the bulb above popped and shrouded the room in darkness. The creaking of wood and sound of footsteps quickly made him turn on his flashlight, making his heart jump into his throat when he saw the patient in front of him with a hand outstretched. He kept the flashlight focused on it as he maneuvered around the body and out the room.

He relaxed when he was under the protective light of an overhead lamp, jumping slightly when the patient tried to reach out for him before its arm went limp in the light. Mono took a moment to calm his racing heart as he analyzed this new threat. Wooden people who went inactive under the light were now trying to kill him in a ward that seemed to be mostly out of power. He would have to navigate these dark halls with any of these patients turning into a threat at the drop of a hat.

"Damn it..."

He set out into the dark halls with his head on a swivel, listening out for the slightest sound of movement as he shined his light on any patients he passed. Quickly immobilizing any that suddenly decided to come to life while evading grasping hands and hooks. He jumped through a vent and landed on a dirty mattress with a small grunt, rolling off and dusting himself off before venturing further. He looked at the long, dark hall filled with doors, possibly filled to the brim with patients and let out a loud sigh. He was starting to seriously hate this place. He took a deep breath and started running down the hall, evading the grasping hands that broke the doors and reached for him by inches. He ducked and weaved under limbs before sharply turning to his left, completely ignoring the sound of a door crashing behind him. Just meant he had to run faster, can't stop for a second. He shined his light on one of the crawling patients ahead of him, quickly passing it before sliding under two beds blocking his way.

He backpedaled as he shined his light on his pursuers, halting their advance as he crept out from under the bed. His eyes widened when he heard movement behind him, he couldn't help but voice his frustrations in this stressful situation.

"Oh fuck off!" He hissed while stopping the patient in its tracks, quickly scaling the cabinets just as the rest of the patients caught up with him. He sat at the top of the cabinet, panting a bit before abruptly holding his hands up to his mouth. He cursed! Very loudly at that, he felt a bit better to be honest though. Guess he could see why The Architect did the same thing when he thought no one was around, it just came naturally in situations like this. He just hoped the man never learned about it, he was quick to crackdown on such behavior when other kids cursed casually, claiming that they weren't nice words to use. He could see why, they flew out pretty easily when something was trying to kill him. He climbed into the vent and fell into the next room, a large public shower with a box of soap in the middle of the room. The next room had a patient resting in a wheelchair behind the electric gate, he quickly threw a bar of soap at the button just out of reach.

The gate opened while he examined the patient in the chair, nothing else in the room could be used to boost him out through the double doors window. He looked back into the shower and gazed at the switch inside with a frown, he was really playing with fire here. He jumped up and flipped the switch, turning the lights off before walking towards the patient in the next room. It sprang up the moment he got close, kicking the wheelchair back before his flashlight made it motionless once more. He slowly walked back while keeping the beam on it, turning around to jump for the switch once he was far enough. The patient hardly took two steps before the lights came back on, immobilizing it once more as the smug boy walked past it. "Better luck next time." He quipped before pushing the wheelchair up to the door.

He climbed up and fell through the window, bending his knees as he landed with practiced ease. Mono's good mood was instantly killed when he saw all the patients in the room, dozens of them were spread out all over, who knew which of them would spring to life? He sighed loudly, willing himself to calm down before he took off in a sprint. The nearest patient twitched before it reached for him, he slides under its grasping hands as he heard two more become active behind him. Another looked up with a permanent smile etched on to its face, he froze it swiftly as he ran past. The footsteps behind him multiplied with each inch of ground he gained, wooden joints creaking loudly as he continued to evade the slowly building horde of patients. A patient sprang out from behind a pillar, reaching out to him before it was sent to the ground by another that ran into it, creating a mess of wooden limbs and bodies.

He slid under the wooden planks just as the patients regained their bearings, grasping hands eagerly followed him in before shying away from the light. He took a moment to catch his breath, tiredly staring at the switch inside the room as Six and RK looked inside with relief. "You okay Mono?" RK asked, getting a shaky thumbs up from the panting boy.

"I absolutely hate this place! Screw hospitals!" Mono shouted, making the two kids smile a bit as he climbed a stool and flipped the switch. The electric cap sputtered with watts of electricity, filling the room with the sound of discharging electricity before the fuse was blown clean out of the circuit. They tried their best not to imagine The Architect spazzing out in a similar chair as Mono threw the fuse into the receptacle, making it fly out into Six's waiting arms. She inserted it into the socket behind her, making the gate open with a loud chime. Mono rejoined his friends as they took the fuse into the next room, wiping some dirt off his coat with a grimace. They would soon be able to continue their search, he just hoped nothing terrible has happened to their kind guardian.

-

"So, it was only months after that we discovered that the man wasn't even a doctor! He performed three successful surgeries while he was here, no one could believe it!"

"Are you serious? How the hell did he perform three successful surgeries without knowing the first thing about being a doctor?"

"Your guess is as good as mine!"

The Architect and The Doctor shared a laugh as they walked down a hall, well, crawled in The Doctor's case. The man happily shared some stories to help ease his patient's nerves, he could tell he wasn't exactly thrilled about going through an evaluation and possible treatment. It was a little strange to talk to someone who was constantly crawling on the ceiling, but The Architect quickly got used to it. The Doctor was a surprisingly nice fellow, patiently explaining how he would ask a few probing questions before deciding on the appropriate treatment based on his answers. He didn't like the sound of it one bit, but he had to play the role of a mentally disturbed patient seeking help, he didn't want to complicate things by being stubborn or dishonest.

They eventually reached a room filled with sliding trays meant to contain bodies, he hoped this was just where The Doctor put those wooden patients and not a morgue. That wouldn't bode too well. The Doctor lead him into a room with a bed and nightstand, a machine was hooked up nearby with a tank filled with some type of gas strapped on. The Architect sat down on the bed as the first line of questions began. "Do you have any family, a Mother or Father?" He asked softly.

"No biological family, never met them."

"Friends or coworkers?"

"Deceased I'm afraid."

The Doctor resisted the urge to wince, noting the monotone voice and stoic gaze the other man had as he answered. That wasn't the best sign or start, but it gave him something to work with. "Any children?" He asked after a moment of silence, internally sighing in relief when he saw The Architect's eyes light up somewhat. The man answered with a smile and joyful tone. "Plenty, I take care of unwanted and mistreated children daily. I love them all dearly." He honestly answered, making The Doctor slowly nod before he decided to tackle the elephant in the room. "Why are you willingly approaching the Signal Tower?" The warm look vanished in a flash, replaced with a stoic face and eyes brimming with barely subdued contempt.

"That Tower is wicked and wrong, just looking at it makes my brain flare in phantom pains. It's evil, vile, and I refuse to allow it to stand a second longer." The Architect sincerely answered, no number of lies could mask his hatred for that repulsive structure. He hardly cared about the viewers that flocked to its corrupting waves, he would climb over heaps of their broken bodies if he must to reach that accursed thing. The Doctor noted this intense hatred with concern, quickly realizing why this man was hellbent on getting closer to that Tower. It was no secret that the Tower is responsible for the horrors that consumed the Pale City, he could still remember the mass of people that flooded this hospital with panicked screams and bloodcurdling cries, gripping their heads as they tried to rid it of the corrupting static that threatened to drive them mad.

That was before people succumbed, no longer resisting the corruption that filled every TV. He remembered the patients who took their own lives, the looks of relief and joy on their faces would haunt him till the day he dies. Nothing has ever come close to being this horrifying for The Doctor, no act of violence or sickness could compare to the madness that engulfed the city. That's why he was so glad to see another sane man with his wits about him, even if that same corruption drove him to approach the Tower. His intense hatred would lead him down a terrible path of self-destruction, he refused to allow another human to march towards their own death. He was still a doctor, damn it!

"What do you believe will happen if you managed to destroy it?" He asked, making The Architect look at him like he was the crazy one before he responded fiercely. "This madness will end, all the suffering and death will stop, people can go back to being normal instead of mindless drones compelled by some outside force!" The Doctor hummed softly before he spoke once again. "Do you think those viewers will return to being normal people, despite how warped they've become?" The question made the other man frown as he truthfully answered. "Perhaps, I can't say for certain, but a future without that damned Tower has to be better than what we have now."

"Why are you doing this?"

"To secure a future for everyone, especially those children I've come to care for!"

"Even if you might not live to see that future?"

The Architect felt his eyes widen at the question, his mounting anger was stopped dead in its tracks as he pondered the question. He never really thought about how he'd bring the Tower down, he knew it wouldn't be easy and the possibility of dying was incredibly high. He never considered the possibility of dying, never entertaining the thought as he got closer and closer to his goal. His eyes slowly narrowed, even if he had to die to ensure the destruction of the Signal Tower, it would be well worth it in his eyes. His life in exchange for the peaceful life he envisioned for his children and everyone else? It was a laughably easy choice to him. "I'd die happy knowing I took that abomination down to hell with me." The Doctor frowned slightly at his words, even if he could understand his reasoning, someone shouldn't be so willing to throw their lives away.

"I will be honest, I have no loved ones to call my own. I've been married to my work for countless years. I would understand if someone in my shoes would make that plunge called sacrifice for the greater good, but I don't understand why you would want to do that. Sure, you would secure that future you envisioned, but would those children of yours live out the rest of their lives happily with you gone? Don't you want to see them grow and lead happy lives? Have them surround you in your final moments?" The Architect sighed softly, running a hand through his hair as he responded. "Nothing would make me happier than seeing them grow and prosper, leading happy lives free of strife with families they adore. I am willing to give up that amazing sight if it meant they would get to live it freely."

"What if you didn't need to die?"

The Architect tilted his head as the man continued. "Your focus on the Tower blinds you to alternate solutions, it's a common thing in other cases. The simplest solution could be most effective, but a second look could yield to more promising alternatives. Perhaps it could be destroyed or rendered useless through a different approach." The Architect pondered this with a tight frown, entertaining the thought of surviving his encounter with the wicked Tower. It seemed to feed off the viewers yet seems to call for others like Mono for unknown reasons. Why do so when it had such a solid foothold? What could a single child do to attract the attention of some eldritch horror? Something lied hidden deep in the heart of the Tower, and he had a feeling it was exploitable if handled correctly.

He just had to learn what it was, his eye could discern this guarded secret once he got inside.

The Doctor snapped him out of his thoughts. "I believe I have what I need, you are a very driven man, but your body has its limits and will give out if pushed too far. You will have to rest before we can move on to the next step in your treatment." He said as he reached for something by the machine, making The Architect eye the man with growing anxiety. "If that's the case I can just lay back and rest right now, no need to-." His plea was halted when The Doctor slipped a mask over his face, pumping sleeping gas steadily as he was gently pushed back into the bed. He felt his eyes begin to grow heavy as The Doctor spoke. "I wish I could believe that, but I know how restless men like you can become. This is for your own good." He said as he got the heart monitor set up.

"I won't allow another person to die under my watch, I've had enough of lifeless bodies and bloody sheets."

The Architect felt his body slowly succumb to the gas, soon putting him to sleep as The Doctor left the room swiftly. He had other patients to look after, he couldn't leave them alone for too long.

-

The Architect felt himself slowly regain consciousness, slowly opening his eyes before frantically reaching for his mouth to remove the mask that was no longer there. He nearly knocked a teary eyed Mono off his chest, looking at the boy with wide eyes as he hugged him as tightly as he could. "Mr. Architect! I thought something terrible happened to you! You weren't moving or responding when I called and I thought you were..." The man swiftly hugged him back, muffling his next words. "I'm sorry I got you captured! If I just turned that stupid TV off none of this would have happened! I won't do anything stupid like that again, so please don't hate me and send me off on my own again! I promise it won't happen again!" The man was temporarily shocked by Mono's cries before he pushed him back slightly to look at him.

"Mono, MONO!" He shouted, quickly bring the boys teary babbling to an end as he looked up at the man with mounting anxiety and fear. It hurt him deeply to see the same boy who cracked jokes and happily mess around with others look so distraught and afraid, because of a simple mistake no less. " I am **not** angry at you, nor do I blame you for what happened to me. I'm not going to force you to leave over something like this, nothing you can do will make me abandon you in such a way." He gently assured the boy while slowly removing his mask, wiping away his tears with a small smile as he continued. "I care about you too much to just do something that heartless, besides, you came all the way down here to save me. I would be a real bastard if I rewarded you by leaving you twisting in the winds." He said as he affectionately rubbed the top of Mono's head, making the boy look up at him incredulously.

"Y-You really don't blame me for what happened...?" He asked slowly. The Architect simply smiled and shook his head, pulling the shocked boy back into his comforting embrace. "Of course not, none of us could have prepared for what happened in there. I'm okay now so we don't have to worry about what could have happened, okay? I'm fine and nothing else matters, thank you for coming to save me." His soft and reassuring words nearly made the boy cry once more, he instead allowed himself to enjoy his guardian's comforting warmth for a moment. He slowly leaned away as he heard the man speak once more.

"Where is The doctor?" His voice was serious and stern, making Mono answer quickly with a slight sniffle. "Just outside this room, he's working on some fake patients." The man nodded before he grabbed a metal fork from the nightstand, looking at the boy once more. "Good, hide and get ready to move. I'm going to get his attention." He said as he crouched next to an outlet, prompting the bag wearing boy to slide under the nightstand.

-

The Doctor was just about to wash his hands when he heard something that made every doctor shoot up in fear.

The sound of a heart monitor blaring rapidly reached his ears, a glance at the room showed no light peeking out from under as the sound quickly stopped. He quickly crawled over to the door with a pale face, what could have possibly happened!? All he did was put him to sleep! He pushed the door open and rushed over to the still form of The Architect, panicking slightly when he noticed the lack of movement in his chest. He put his hands over his chest and was about to begin compressing when the man suddenly jolted up, grabbing The Doctor by his collar before sucker punching the man. He fell off the ceiling with a shout as The Architect stood up and bolted, the dazed man barely heard the chime of a door opening before his eyes widened, idly noting the smoking fork on the ground as he quickly began climbing to his feet.

He caught a glimpse of the man quickly running down the hall, knocking shelves over as three small figures ran ahead of him. The Architect climbed over the row of beds and crawled towards the next room just as The Doctor cleared the first few beds. The Doctor just barely caught sight of three scared looking children when one of the incinerator doors slammed into his face, making him see stars for a moment as he collapsed. He felt a foot press down on his chest painfully as he regained his bearings, looking up at the blurry sight of The Architect as he stared down at him.

"Thank you for your hospitality, I'll be checking out now." He said slowly as Six called the elevator, making The Doctor frown deeply before he slowly nodded. "So it seems, I hope you gave my words some thought." His words made the children look at him with narrowed eyes as the other man nodded, alleviating some of the pressure on The Doctor's chest. "You are a good man, Doctor. I don't want to kill you if I can help it. You've given me much to think about, that doesn't mean I'm above doing it if you attempt to pursue us." His right eye gained an eerie green glow as he stared down at the bruised man, he would kill anyone that he deemed a threat and The Doctor could clearly see that. He wasn't eager to join the patients they lost amongst the dead yet.

"I'll stay here, see if anything changes anytime soon." He replied with a small smile.

The Architect smiled back, slowly stepping off the man as he entered the elevator with the children. "I trust you can heal those bruises, I'd feel a bit bad if you couldn't." There was a hint of regret in his voice, something that made The Doctor laugh.

"I've healed worse, I'm sure I can manage just fine. You owe me for the dirty coat, don't have many clean white coats around here."

"I'll be sure to stich something nice as a replacement."

The door closed as the elevator ascended, leaving The Doctor to rub his bruised face with a wince. He considered this to be a pretty productive day all things considered. New white duds and a possibly fixed world? Hardly seemed like a bad thing if all he had to suffer were a few bruises and a busted lip in exchange. 


	16. Welcome Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Architect traverses the viewer infested buildings with the children in tow, fighting off the mounting pain in his head as they approach the Signal Tower. Mono is driven towards a TV for the final time.

The Architect wasn't pleased with the fact that he had to walk through the rain again, he at least managed to pilfer an umbrella from the lobby before they left the hospital. Six and Mono were seated on his shoulder while RK sat perched on top of his head, he could feel the boy occasionally play with his hair as he cautiously entered a worn down building. The sounds of some obnoxious programs filled his ears, the annoying jingles ringing in his head as he opened the door to the next hall. Only to frown when a limp body of a viewer came into view, their neck was bent at an unnatural angle as water poured in from a hole in the ceiling. He stepped over the body with a slight grimace, Mono did his best to ignore the body while Six seemed unfazed.

The building creaked ominously as he climbed up a set of stairs, gripping the railing tightly until he reached the next floor. The rest of the stairwell was destroyed, forcing him to traverse the rooms ahead for an alternate way up to the roof. The sound of something falling behind him made him quickly turn around, nearly knocking the children off as he caught sight of a body falling down the stairwell. A loud thud echoed inside the building, swiftly being drowned out by the happy jingles of the TVs. The Architect turned around with a slight wince, he didn't want to imagine what that body looked like after hitting the ground at such speeds. "Can you not turn so fast? We almost got knocked off." Six whispered, not willing to raise her voice inside despite how distracted the viewers were.

"Sorry, got startled for a second." He apologized quietly as he entered a run down apartment, smiling slightly to himself when he saw a fire escape hanging out the window. He opened the window and stepped back out into the rain, ascending the stairs until they reached the rooftop. The Architect had barely looked out towards the Signal Tower when he felt his head pulse painfully, making him groan lowly in discomfort as he put a hand up to his head. RK paused in his ministrations, fearful of making his condition worse as the man leaned on the railing of the fire escape for support. The pain vanished for a moment as he took a shaky breath, that felt eerily similar to the same pain he felt when he was struck by the signals from the TV's. The Tower either knew he was close or this was just the consequence of getting so close to the damned thing.

"Are you okay? Maybe we should-." Mono flinched when the man suddenly cut him off, his voice layered in pain and frustration." I'm fine, just need to stop looking at that damn eyesore." The Architect hissed before continuing his march across the rooftop, let that abomination know he was coming. It would do little to sway him, he'd get inside someway or the other, even if he had to break down the front doors. The children looked at each other with clear surprise and concern, their guardian has never waved their concerns off in such a manner. He always remained patient and calm despite how dire things got, never allowing his negative emotions to bleed out when he spoke to them. No such restraint was shown here and they can see his fist angrily clench with each bout of pain that assaulted his mind.

The Architect looked at the other building ahead of them, they could thankfully cross without too much trouble. His concern was reserved for the farthest building, it had a gap that could only be traversed if they jumped. He couldn't have the children ride his shoulders if they wanted to clear the gap. He ignored the viewers throwing themselves off the nearby rooftops as they gazed lifelessly at the Signal Tower, trying his best to ignore the throbs of agony that threatened to break his concentration. It was getting harder to think clearly, all he could he hear was that stupid **fucking** static ringing in his head. He had to put forth maximum effort just to remember where he was going, he didn't want to plummet to his death like those mindless viewers.

They reached the gap, prompting the man to crouch so the kids could hop off. "I'm going to jump across, I'll lean on the railing of the fire escape and catch you guys so you can join me." He said quickly, making the children nod slowly before Mono opened his mouth once more. "You can make that jump, right?" The Architect simply patted his legs while giving the bag wearing boy a small smile. "These legs never failed me in the forest, won't fail me now." He replied before stepping back a bit, taking a running start before leaping across the gap. He grabbed the railing with a loud grunt, gripping it tightly as his legs hung in the air for a moment before finding purchase on the metal framework as he pulled himself up. He dusted himself off before leaning over the railing with one hand outstretched while the other gripped the railing tightly.

Six was the first one to jump, sighing with relief as she felt his fingers curl around her midsection somewhat tightly in fear of dropping her. She was safely placed at his side before he caught a yelling RK, setting the panting boy down before looking over at Mono. The boy was nervously looking at the distance between him and the man's hand, The Architect was about to say something when Mono suddenly sprinted and jumped. The Architect had to lean forward a few more inches to catch the boy who missed his hand, panting slightly as the terrified boy looked up at him with wide eyes hidden behind his paper bag. "I got you kid." He grunted as he slowly hoisted himself back to safety while Six and RK pulled on his slacks to help him up. He set Mono down and fell back with a loud sigh, wiping some rain off his face before he slowly stood up.

Six and RK were rubbing a still trembling Mono's back as The Architect caught his breath, a part of him wanted to hurry them along, not wanting to waste anymore time. Another part was reminding him that the poor kid almost fell to his death, a second or two of rest wouldn't kill them. The boy seemed to recover somewhat when he saw the man stand, slowly following him as he began to climb the stairs with Six and RK trailing behind him with concerned faces. The man frowned when the window wouldn't budge, making the children jump slightly when he slammed his elbow into the glass roughly, shattering it as he carelessly wandered inside. The children carefully stepped over the broken glass as they followed their guardian, watching as he slowly opened the next door before he suddenly stopped.

He could feel the building groan and shift below him, it was incredibly unsteady, the slightest misstep might cause something to crash over their heads. The room ahead was in total disarray, a large hole allowed rain to pour inside and fall into the uneven and elevated floorboards. He gazed at the door at the other end of the room, they would have to move carefully to avoid upsetting the flimsy building further. The Architect turned around to speak to his children. "This building is in really bad shape, this floor in particular feels like it's about to collapse. Tread carefully." He warned as he opened the door just enough so that he can squeeze through, followed closely by the trio of kids as they carefully tip toed through the room. The Architect felt his blood freeze when he saw one of the tables above shift, making the wooden support tremble from the strain before it broke. He quickly swept the startled children into his arms and ran shoulder first into the door.

He stumbled and rolled against the dusty ground, keeping the children held securely to his chest before quickly getting back onto his feet. The ground shifted, threatening to send him back down to the ground as he sprinted towards the end of the hall. His eyes widened when the floor suddenly gave away, sending him falling down as he turned his body so that he wouldn't land on the kids. The Architect felt the air leave his lungs as he painfully hit the ground, blinking away the dark spots in his vision before the sounds of panicked shouts filled his ears. He could barely make out the form of something falling towards him as he quickly pushed the children out of his arms and away from danger as he scrambled to get to his feet.

He felt something hit the back of his head before darkness swamped his vision.

-

Six, RK, and Mono hit the door with a painful thud, narrowly getting crushed by a falling beam of wood as they stood up on shaky legs. RK's eyes widen when he saw the motionless form of The Architect resting under a thick wooden beam. "DAD!" He shouted in panic, making the two other kids flinch for different reasons. Six and RK had always addressed the man by his title ever since they landed on the mainland, it was harder to use that affectionate name when they never knew what was waiting for them. Six wanted to stay as calm as possible during situations like this to avoid panicking like RK, who was trying to push the beam off the man with little results. She ran over and pressed a small hand to The Architect's neck, ignoring the overwhelming sense of relief and joy that flooded her heart as she spoke. "He's still alive, he must have been knocked out during the fall." RK breathed a small sigh of relief.

Mono stood by the door with an unreadable expression hidden under his mask, he was relieved that The Architect was still alive. He just felt a foreign emotion grip his heart and feed distracting thoughts into his head. He's heard a few children around the camp call the man dad on occasion, smiling widely as he affectionately rubbed their heads with the warmest smile he's ever seen. Did this stem from favoritism? Did he simply hold others in a higher regard and allowed them to call him such? He briefly wondered how nice it would feel to call him that before a dark thought registered to the distraught boy. Why would this man allow the boy who was responsible for not only his capture, but the capture of two of his favorite children call him by such an affectionate title? The thought made him frown deeply, all he's done is inconvenience the group with his foolish acts of bravado.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the door open, looking up to see RK drop from the handle with a grunt. Six rubbed his shoulder, mistaking his silence for concern as she spoke. "We might be able to find something to wake him inside, that beam is too much for the three of us to lift." She was briefly surprised when the boy flinched from her touch as if it was acid, examining the hall briefly before he quietly spoke. "I'll check the room to the left." He was running before either of the other two kids could say anything, trying his best to keep this new emotion from spilling into his voice. Better if they woke him up, The Architect would probably be happy to see them as opposed to himself. He stumbled into the room blindly, completely missing the TV that sat by the wall as tears clouded his eyes.

He had doubts about this, about how far The Architect's patience would run before he decided that the boy was more trouble than he was worth. Who could even blame him? He's nearly killed them twice now! Three times if he counted the near death experience by that fire escape. Mono always forced the man to do more just to compensate for **his** shortcomings! Why did he believe he could honestly live with these people without causing some sort of problem? All he did in life was try to fix problems he created, just like in the woods, just like in the school, just like in the hospital.

Just like now!

Mono clutched his coat tightly as he felt tears slide down his cheeks, he didn't mean to cause so many problems. He just wanted something other than this crippling loneliness and anxiety that followed him wherever he went. Fate just wouldn't let him obtain that loving warmth that came from companionship, throwing setback after setback at them at every step of the way. If they didn't kick him out from pure frustration and resentment, they'd eventually die from another mess he would create. Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't he just live happily without worrying about hurting or inconveniencing others just by being around them? What terrible curse made the world hate him so much that it would desperately try to rip away one of the only things that made him truly happy?

His frustrations only grew when the TV turned on, filling his head with static as it blared loudly. It was no longer painful for the boy, it was just some annoying sound that he desperately wanted to silence. He stomped over to the TV and angrily placed his palm against the screen, ignoring the concerned shouts from Six and RK from the other room as he tuned into the signal. He landed on his knees in that stupid hallway, moving slowly towards the door with the ominous eye mockingly looking down on him. He jumped up and turned the door handle, what the hell was behind this stupid door that couldn't just wait!?

Mono's anger slowly faded, replaced with paralyzing fear as the door slowly opened. An incredibly thin man sat patiently on a chair, his eyes hidden by the brim of his hat as he slowly began to rise. He was dressed in a dark-blue suit and slacks along with dress shoes. The Thin Man regarded the boy for a moment with an unreadable expression before Mono felt himself get yanked back out of the TV.

"Mono, Mono! You have to get up! I don't know what you did but something is coming!" RK shouted with panic as he tried to snap the bag wearing boy out of his fear induced haze. Six was trying to turn off the TV, paling when she saw the power chord wasn't even connected to the outlet behind it. "We need to leave, NOW!" She snapped as Mono slowly stood up, gazing at the screen as The Thin Man walked towards them through the TV. His footsteps were loud and laced with static before he suddenly disappeared, making the boy hold out his hand to the TV just as two large palms pressed against the glass. Mono felt his body seize up in pain as static filled his vision and brain with painful pulses, he hardly felt RK tug him away from the screen as The Thin Man crawled through. He slowly stood at his full height, staring down at the running children before leisurely walking after them.

They ran into the next room just as his head peered out from the doorway, Six hid under a small table while RK and Mono took refuge under the bed. The Thin Man soon stood at the door, gazing down at Six's hiding spot with intensity as the building began to shake and teeter. She was knocked out of her hiding spot, hyperventilating slightly when she felt the room come alive with static. She desperately tried to crawl towards her friends as Mono covered his head in fear and agony as The Thin Man reached out to grab the girl. RK was seconds away from sprinting out when a loud shout sounded off behind the man.

"Get the hell away from them!"

The Architect swung a broken wooden plank at The Thin Man, only to feel his eyes widened as the man casually avoided his swing with practiced ease. The Thin Man ripped the impromptu weapon from his hands before grasping his head tightly in both hands. The Architect struggled to escape his grip, idly noting the slight look of regret that crossed The Thin Man's face before he heard the familiar sound of static.

The kids have never heard The Architect scream that loudly before.

His world turned white as he was struck with agonizing pain, every nerve in his body screamed along with him as he desperately tried to rip himself away from this monster's grip. Static filled his mind with waves of terrible pain as the two men began to flicker and shudder like a glitch. The Architect's screams became distorted before the two disappeared with a flicker of static, leaving an echoing cry of agony behind along with a dark figure where he used to be. The children looked at the staticky afterimage of The Architect with wide, terrified eyes as it briefly examined its hands before collapsing on its knees. It faded once the children crawled out of their hiding spots. Mono was hyperventilating as he stared at the spot where their guardian used to be, feeling himself shake violently as he realized what he just unleashed.

He freed a monster, a monster that just abducted the only man who gave a damn about them.

-

The Architect felt himself slowly awaken, feeling warm and dizzy as he tried his best to open his eyes. Every small movement made his body ache with discomfort. He was resting on some sort of chair, the light above him was feeding green light into the room as he looked around. His eyes landed on the sight of The Thin Man standing by something familiar, something that made his blood freeze.

His old workbench sat against the wall with all his tools neatly placed around it, the blueprints of The Maw hung over the wall as the other man regarded him calmly. He slowly spoke, his voice sounding like a distorted signal from a faulty TV, randomly glitching out or rising an octave.

" **I'm sorry about the rough treatment, but it was necessary. I'm sure you were already planning on entering this terrible Tower so I decided to give you a hand."** The Thin Man paused to tip his hat slightly, addressing the terrified man once more.

" **Welcome back to your old workshop, Mr. Architect."**


	17. Necessary Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Architect and The Thin Man speak to each other as the children race towards the tower in the hopes of freeing their guardian. The Thin Man leaves him with much to think about before facing the three determined kids.

RK barely caught the enraged Six as she lunged at Mono, snapping the poor boy out of his guilt induced shock as she shouted at him. RK kept his arms securely wrapped around her waist as she spoke. "ONE THING! We ask you to do one thing and you ignore it for no reason! We told you to stay away from those stupid TVs and what do you do!? See how far you can stick your body in one before unleashing some monster!" The girl was livid, she could easily disregard the bag wearing boy's fearful state when The Thin Man was reaching out for her, there wasn't much any of them could do to stop a grown adult outside of her powers. Fear kept her from even entertaining the thought, that feeling of slowly getting pulled into that static grip was agonizing and distracting. What she couldn't disregard was how Mono pointedly ignored their warnings and tuned into to that damn TV anyway after running off.

"SIX! You need to calm down! He said those signals were painful to him, you saw how he got when that monster started crawling out of the TV. If I didn't pull him away he might have been taken away!" RK said as he struggled to keep the girl restrained, he didn't want to see Mono get hurt just because of this terrible mistake. They didn't need to lose anyone else, to rage or grief.

"Maybe that would have been a good thing! That monster was interested in him after all! Are you seriously telling me he couldn't ignore some stupid TV for just two minutes!?" Mono and RK gasped at her careless response, the bag wearing boy felt anger surge with grief in equal measure. How was he supposed to know what was behind that stupid door? That signal made thinking hard and the only thing that stopped it was tuning into that cursed signal. Would they have really been happier if The Thin Man had just taken him instead? He blinked away his tears when he heard RK speak once more, the boy sounded angry, something Mono never thought he could associate with the kind sweater wearing boy who was always cracking jokes and smiles. "That's not fair and you know it! Could you ignore those hunger pangs of yours back in The Maw? Who did you almost eat before The Architect had to suffer a wounded hand just to stuff a sausage into your mouth?"

Six felt her eyes widen under her hood as her anger was replaced with regret, stumbling out of RK's arms as she shook her head. Whatever she was about to say was interrupted by a furious Mono. "Wait, she was about to **eat** someone? You were spouting all that nonsense when someone had to stop you from eating someone else!?" Mono couldn't believe this, the hell was she grilling him for then? She had to be stopped by The Architect from ending someone's life, a child most likely, and she had the audacity to come at him? Six glared angrily at the boy as she spoke. "I-I didn't mean to do that! I was just so hungry and everything hurt so bad that..." She trailed off as Mono scoffed.

"Funny, I remember saying something similar back in the hospital."

"That was before you unleashed that damn monster!" 

"So being a monster is better than freeing one? Because only a monster would try to eat a kid!"

"ENOUGH!" RK stood between the two arguing children, pushing them away from each other as he spoke. "You both made mistakes born out of pain and desperation, just get over it! I'm sure people have done worse in our shoes, The Architect wouldn't want us wasting time here screaming at each other when we could be coming up with a plan to save him. None of you are monsters, both of you had to do unpleasant things whenever that pain registered in those dire situations. Doesn't matter if it came from hunger or some stupid TV, you two should be more understanding with each other." He said with an angry huff, letting the two kids ponder his words with tight frowns. Mono himself rubbed his arm as he racked her brain for a plan to help their savior, he was getting tired of being angry and sad over this. Those two emotions have been prominent for the majority of his life, he was getting sick of them both.

"We could enter that Signal Tower... He was probably taken there." RK sighed a bit in relief when he heard Mono's voice devoid of anger. Six grunted behind the boy before asking in a more subdued tone. "How would we get in? I doubt they just leave the doors unlocked around there." Mono thought for a moment before his eyes widened under his mask. He could freely manipulate the signal in the TVs without going insane like the viewers, maybe he could do something similar with the tower? He should be able to manipulate the origin of the signals, it would probably be harder but it could work.

"I could try tapping into the Signal Tower directly like how I tune those signals, it probably won't be as easy but..." RK nodded while Six stared at the bag wearing boy for a moment. "We would need to get past the viewers in the streets, it's the fastest way to the Tower." RK spoke, that left them with a new problem. Getting past a mob of bloodthirsty viewers who hated any interruptions to their regularly scheduled programming. He was about to suggest a different route when Six spoke up. "I can get us past those viewers, they won't be a problem." RK frowned in concern, the girl was strictly encouraged to use her abilities in small bursts due to her inexperience and a lack of bodies to siphon from. He wasn't sure how much... soul was actually left in those viewers.

"Six, we can't tell how much-."

"I know, but it should be enough to keep me from passing out. I can hopefully clear a street or two if I have to, I'll gladly let myself get dragged to that stupid tower as long as he can get us in." Six said while pointing at the shocked Mono, he couldn't picture the girl who said such hateful things willingly clearing a path for him. Then again, it was probably more for The Architect's sake than his own. She glared at him for a moment, making RK open his mouth to stop another fight before her next words surprised him. "I'll happily forgive all the trouble you've caused if you can get us inside." Mono was briefly shocked by this declaration, he didn't peg Six as the type to forgive and forget so easily. All he had to do is get them inside some dumb building and they could be friends again? He would happily break down those doors if he had to.

"I'll get us inside." Nothing but determination and resolve could be heard in Mono's voice. There wasn't a single ounce of fear to be found. Six gave a satisfied nod before walking out of the room. "Good, let's find a way down. The faster we can get there the better, I don't want to imagine what might be happening to him right now." Mono followed with a slight nod, he refused to let The Architect suffer a second longer because of his mistake. They left a stunned RK behind before he quickly jogged over to follow them, they came together rather quickly for two kids who were casually calling each other monsters. He wasn't about to complain though, Six could take her anger out on the viewers while Mono did the same with the Signal Tower. He was perfectly fine with this as long as they made it to the Tower alive.

-

The Architect stared at The Thin Man with an unreadable expression, making him tilt his head slightly. " **You're usually more talkative than this, are you concerned about the tower? Your children?"** His concerned voice made The Architect narrow his eyes as he crossed his arms. "I don't feel so inclined to talk to someone who is clearly aiding this abomination." His venomous tone made The Thin Man narrowed his own eyes before he spoke once more, leaning forward on his chair slightly. **"Would you be more inclined to listen to a prisoner? You used to be in a similar position after all, a choice between life and death."** The Architect felt his eyes widen as he clenched his fists, how did this man know about that? The only people who knew about his origins was The Ferryman and his children.

"You called yourself a prisoner, why?" He asked bluntly, he had little patience for subtlety in this wretched place. The Thin Man gave him a small smile as he explained. **"I was locked inside this Tower after a... incident with someone I thought I could trust."** The air became heavy with malice and electricity as The Thin Man clenched his fists, The Architect resisted the urge to flinch as he continued. " **I was recently freed by Mono, something I'm incredibly thankful for despite my actions."** The Architect felt his concerns grow and fester, this man spoke Mono's name with such familiarity, like he's known the boy for all his life.

"Why terrorize them? Strange way of showing your gratitude."

**"To draw you out of that pile of debris, so we can talk like this."**

The Architect frowned at this, this man was incredibly insightful about the events that led to that specific TV. "You speak like you knew we would be there, how long have you been watching us?" He asked. The Thin Man shook his head as he answered. " **I may have watched a few things, but experience is the main contributor of my knowledge. I've walked that path so many times now...watched terrible things happen to others."** His voice was laced in regret and guilt, no amount of distortion could hide it. The Architect felt his confusion grow with every word. He's been watching them, but has also experienced the terrible things they've been through? Did he used to be a part of a group who were also trying to bring the Signal Tower down? "This still doesn't explain why you seem to know Mono, you talk like your old friends. That sweet boy has never uttered a word about you so how do you know him?" He asked, not liking the thought of a potential stalker tracking the bag wearing boy.

The Thin Man smiled softly at his description for the boy, reaching up to remove his hat as he spoke. **"Sweet huh? I don't know how long I've waited to hear you say something like that again."** His voice was surprisingly free of distortion as he looked at The Architect's eyes.

Tired hazel met shocked emerald eyes as they stared at each other, The Architect felt his body shake slightly as he gazed at those familiar eyes with mounting sadness and distress. No amount of static or pain could make him forget such eyes that used to look up at him in joy and warmth.

" M-Mono...?" He uttered brokenly, weakly raising his hands up to cup The Thin Man's face gingerly. The other man leaned into his touch with a small sigh, allowing a small smile to spread over his face as he felt those comforting hands once more. " **Hey Mr. Architect... It's been awhile, more for me than you I guess."** The Architect looked over his body with watering eyes, how did sweet little Mono turn into this? How was he even here when he saw him cowering under the bed from The Thin Man? Was he taken and warped to the Tower along with him?

"My sweet boy... how did this happen? What caused this?" The Architect asked lowly as he slowly composed himself, blinking away his tears as The Thin Man reluctantly leaned away from his touch to explain. " **Certain events always transpire that leads to my fate, sometimes you make it close to the Tower, other times..."** He trailed off with a frown as a TV turned on to his left. It showed their group traversing the school before a locker falls and crushes The Architect's head. A change of the channel revealed him getting blasted away by an enraged Hunter. Another change showed his lifeless body sitting in the dark along with countless other patients. " **This has happened countless times in different ways, sometimes you don't even think about freeing the children in The Maw. Your grief gets the better of you and mounts until..."** A final flip shows his legs hanging over a chair as an unfazed Six drags the chair towards the nearby door.

The Architect nearly retched at the scenes, his face pale as he felt the phantom pains from each image. The hopelessness and despair that made him choose death over life. He shook his head and gripped his head with a sneer. "I'm not that weak minded... I'm not him... I'm not him." He was trying to desperately convince himself as The Thin Man rubbed his shoulder. " **You're right, you're not him, but you easily could have been. This is the farthest you've gotten in this terrible cycle, granted it took some subtle interference on my part."** The Architect looked up at him with wide eyes before he remembered that vivid attack on his mind before he left for The Maw, glaring slightly at the other man.

"You call nearly ripping my brain apart subtle?"

The Thin Man had the decency to look slightly sheepish. " **It was the only way I could reach you, you were very close to leaving and I panicked. Look where you are now thanks to my intervention. All it took was a few rogue thoughts to get you on the right path."**

The Architect grumbled slightly before a thought occurred to him, did that mean his actions on The Maw were just actions caused by that interference? Was his love and care for the children born from his own heart or was it a product of this intervention? The Thin Man seemed to notice his plight. " **Do you love those children any less after learning about this? Does this new knowledge rob you of your sense of care for their safety?"** The Architect rapidly shook his head with a tight frown, making The Thin Man smile before he leaned back in his chair. " **There you have it, you should concern yourself with how to end this dreaded tower now that your inside."** His words made the man nod, he was in a prime position to do some serious damage, he refused to waste the opportunity.

"This Tower needs something to keep it running, something to keep it stable enough to repeat this cycle over and over again. Like a catalyst..." He trailed off as he stared at the sadly smiling Thin Man. "You're the catalyst... you keep this place alive with every cycle. That siren song from the TV always brings you back." The Thin Man slowly nodded as The Architect put a hand to his face, to disrupt the tower would mean robbing it of its catalyst.

The Thin Man would have to die, the Tower could not be allowed to claim Mono this time around.

"God fucking damn it..." He whispered, making The Thin Man chuckle slightly despite the terrible situation. Guess he could curse freely now that he wasn't a child anymore. " **All you have to do is just break my neck and this nightmare could end."** He said softly, making his guardian flinch as he gripped his arms tightly. He quickly shook his head. "Christ Mono... do you even know what you're asking me to do? I would have to..." He trailed off with a shaky gasp as he felt tears slip down his cheeks. "I can't just do that... to kill someone I love like that even if it was a mercy killing..." He gripped his head as he leaned forward with a gut-wrenching sob, he couldn't bring himself to do something like that even if it assured the destruction of a this horrible tower. " I can't just kill my precious boy like some wild animal! What type of sick fucking world would force me to do that!?" His shouts made The Thin Man flinch in surprise before a deep frown made its way to his face.

He walked over and wrapped an arm over the sobbing man's shaking shoulders. "I don't want to do something like that... Please don't make me kill my boy... I can't... I just can't." It felt like a knife was twisting painfully in The Thin Man's heart as he watched the man he considered a father cry so brokenly in his arms. He's seen him tackle the horrors of The Maw and The Pale City countless times, seen him try his best to keep his children safe even if it costed him his life. Not a single channel showed the man sobbing so helplessly like this, nothing he experienced would lead to such a heart wrenching reaction. To force him to kill him in such a way would break the man in a way that no past horror could ever achieve. The Tower would probably delight in having such a broken man in its clutches, he refused to give it that satisfaction.

The Thin Man gently rubbed The Architect's back as he spoke. " **You won't have to kill me than, but you must understand that I can't stay alive if you hope to stop this cycle. I'll think of a better way of... freeing myself."** He chose his words carefully as to not upset him further. The Architect sat up and wiped his eyes with his sleeve before he sighed deeply. "That's fine... if it truly can't be avoided than we have little choice." The Thin Man gave him a small smile as he made to stand. He felt the trio moving brazenly through the streets, he would need to confront them before they arrived. He was halted by a firm grip on his arm, blinking a bit in surprise when he was suddenly pulled into a tight hug. The embrace made his heart soar after countless years of solitude and resentment. How many times has he wished to be hugged like this again? To just be able to feel this loving embrace that was so common in every cycle where he met The Architect?

He had to fight the urge to simply sleep like he used to in his comforting arms, listening intently as The Architect began to speak. "I won't pretend to understand everything that led to this transformation of yours, I'm sure the Tower played a hand in this somewhat. You've been left in this terrible place for God knows how long with no one to keep you company, so I'm going to say this only once. You are no burden Mono, the world is a terrible place for hating such a kind hearted boy like you. I don't know where you'll end up when all of this is said and done, but I want you to know that I love you dearly. No transformation or mistake you can make will **ever** change that fact, no one else might remember this version of you, but I certainly will." The Thin Man was no longer hugging him, he was replaced by the shuddering form of a small boy with tearful hazel eyes hidden behind his bangs. His small hands gripped his vest tightly as he buried his face into the warmth he's missed for countless years.

"You don't know how many times I imagined hearing those words leave your lips..." The static that accompanied his voice was rendered silent as the boy spoke. "... Thank you so much for everything you've done for me... for loving me and giving me a home when the world could care less about what happens to me. I cherished those memories as much as I could and I will continue to do so no matter where I go once the dust settles." He briefly paused, leaning back so he could look up at the man. He gave him a wide, warm smile reminiscent of the one he gave him when he first embraced him like this. That memory in particular kept him sane despite the number of cycles he was forced to endure, no amount of rage or sadness would let him forget one of the happiest days of his life. That was the only thing the Signal Tower couldn't take from him.

"Thank you for everything... I love you dad." The words left his mouth before he could stop himself, it felt like a giant weight was removed from his heart as he finally uttered those words he used to hear so much from the other kids. He's always wanted to say those words throughout his imprisonment, fearing that he would never get another chance to speak to the man who gave him so much without a second thought. The Architect smiled down at Mono kindly before he gently stroked his hair, God he's missed that smile so much. He missed how safe and secure it made him feel, like nothing in this terrible world could touch him with The Architect by his side. "I love you too Mono, I've always had and always will. Nothing will ever change that." He whispered softly, making the boy choke back a sob as he hugged the man tightly once more.

He didn't want to leave, he wanted to stay like this as long as possible and enjoy every second of the love he's been robbed of for all his life. He wanted to just stay like this, no scary tower, no hateful Six leaving him to die. Just him and the man he loved dearly as a Father.

That's why it hurt so much to leave.

The Architect felt the small boy leave his side, a glance around the room showed him that he was the only one inside. He briefly frowned before schooling his features with a deep breath. An eye opened from on top of his workbench, regarding him with disdain as he glared right back at it. "The feeling is mutual. you worthless collection of flesh." The eye briefly bristled at the insult before he saw amusement fill it, more eyes opened and stared down at him. He grits his teeth slightly as he felt something wicked worm it's way into his mind, it was terribly unpleasant without something to distract him like the last time he was here. He struggled to keep his thoughts his own as he glared hatefully at the eye. "Enjoy this while you can, I'll get my own kicks sooner or later."

The walls rumbled with what he could guess was laughter as the eye looked at him with clear doubt, that was the last thing he saw before he felt his consciousness fade.

-

Another viewer collapsed with a weak gasp on the rain-soaked road as Six marched ahead of the group, black wisps of smoke would leave their lifeless body and enter her own with each life she claimed. There was almost nothing left inside these husks to drain, making this prolonged use of her powers irritating. They were making amazing progress however, the Signal Tower was within sight and no more hordes stood in their way to oppose them. Six let that dark power fade with a deep breath, covering her mouth as she started coughing violently. RK was quick to support her once he felt that suffocating magic fade, grimacing at the sight of her blood-stained hand as she wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "Good work Six, you got us far enough. Try to rest for now." He said softly, making the girl nod tiredly as Mono walked ahead of the group. He calmed himself with a few breaths and was about to stretch out his hand when the lamps above flickered and sputtered for a moment.

His eyes narrowed as The Thin Man appeared at the end of the street, tilting his head slightly at the sight of the three children. Mono reached up and slowly removed his mask, letting it drift away in the rain as he stared at the monster he released. He was going to correct this here and now, starting with The Thin Man. The Thin Man approached the three children without a care in the world, outstretching his hand to grasp Mono. The two kids watched with widening eyes as black particles swirled around the boy for a moment, the very air around him distorted before he shoved his hand out. The Thin Man began to glow brightly as static laced through his body painfully. He was blasted back with a distorted cry of pain that shook the very buildings around them.

He slowly rose to his feet before trying once more, grimacing as the boy matched him and began to overpower him. He was sent crashing back into the ground with a scream laced in pain and static. He shakily rose to his feet along with a panting Mono who glared up at him in determination. The Thin Man weakly outstretched his hand as Mono matched him for the final time, sending him sprawling back onto the rain-soaked road as the building around them threatened to collapse under the strain of their struggle. Mono slowly stood up as The Thin Man panted on his knees, clutching his chest for a moment. He could have sworn he saw a smile spread over the man's face before he faded into black particles, making RK and Six smile widely as Mono focused on the tower.

He felt the connection with the Signal Tower and willed himself and his group closer, demanding that the doors open as he clenched his fists slightly. Six and RK gasped as they suddenly appeared before the daunting tower, all they did was blink! When did they get this close? The doors slowly opened to welcome them, allowing magenta pink light to shine outside. Six and RK approached the doors with caution, Mono was about to join them when the sound of static made him halt. He turned around quickly to see the small form of a child clutching its arms, its body glitching out like the last remains he saw on the beach. He noted how it wore an eerily familiar trench coat and pants as he approached it, he gently touched it just as it raised its head to look at him. It was absorbed into him like the last time, he braced himself for the backlash of negative emotions that was bound to assault his mind.

He blinked in surprise when all he felt was relief and joy, like a tired child who just woke up from a terrible nightmare. He couldn't ponder this further as Six called out to him.

"What are you doing Mono? We have to go!" He nodded and swiftly rejoined his friends as they ventured into the depths of the Signal Tower. 


End file.
